A Place to Belong
by hmweasley
Summary: A collection of ficlets about Scorpius and Albus. 31: Scorpius cares for a sick Albus. 32: Scorpius and Albus relax after a difficult day. 33: Scorpius starts a new job and learns more than expected about Theodore Nott. 35: Albus's family is perfectly happy without him. 36: The Daily Prophet declares Scorpius the new King of Healing.
1. Invitation

**A/N: Another drabble collection. This one is going to be for Scorpius and Albus, both as individuals and as a pair. This was written for two challenges. The first is the Favorite Character Boot Camp. I've chosen Scorpius, so prepare yourself for 50 stories all about him. This story uses the prompt "invite."**

 **The other challenge is the Build a Zoo challenge. I've used the setting Hogwarts for the elephant enclosure.**

Scorpius couldn't help but smile as he looked over the lake at the setting sun. The oranges and reds of the sky reflected against the water, which magnified their brilliance. Even the stones of the castle glowed in the evening light. Sunsets had become Scorpius' favourite time of day since he'd started Hogwarts. He'd been dragging Albus out to watch them since the weather had grown warm enough for it.

In the days leading up to September first, Scorpius had been convinced that his expectations for Hogwarts could only mean the school would let him down in the end. They were so high that nothing could have met them, but he'd met Albus Potter on the train.

He glanced at Albus from the corner of his eye. His best friend wasn't as interested in the sunset as he was; his eyes had fallen closed as he leaned against the trunk of the tree they sat under. Scorpius couldn't help but grin at the sight and took the opportunity to watch Albus more closely than he would have otherwise.

It had been nearly a year since they'd become friends, but Scorpius was still amazed that a son of Harry Potter had deemed a Malfoy worthy of being his best mate. Amazed and very thankful.

Part of him still expected to wake up one day to Albus insisting they could no longer be friends. As the year passed, he had kept expecting the fear to fade, and it would at times, only to re-emerge at a later date.

As the summer holidays grew closer, it had returned with a vengeance. Scorpius wanted to be excited about seeing his family for the first time since Christmas. He had a number of things he wanted to speak about with his mother—it wasn't the same through letters—but he didn't want to leave Hogwarts.

Two months was a long time apart. It was plenty of time for Albus to have a wakeup call, to realize why being friends with Scorpius was such a terrible idea.

He'd fallen so deep into his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Albus opening his eyes until the other boy spoke.

"What is it?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow in a silent question, and Albus pushed himself up from where he'd been reclining before continuing.

"You look upset. What's wrong?"

Scorpius looked back towards the sun, tugging a few blades of grass out of the ground. Though his worries had plagued him all year, he'd successfully avoided telling Albus about them.

"Nothing," he said. "I was just thinking about the summer."

"Not much longer until it's here," Albus said with a grin. "We'll be free from essays and Filch's rules for a few months. Can't wait."

When Scorpius didn't return his smile, Albus' grin fell.

"What's wrong then? You better have a good reason for not being excited for summer."

"Two months is a long time. I'll be at Malfoy Manor, and you'll be home with your family. It just feels kind of strange is all. We haven't been apart that long since we became friends."

"That's what you're worried about?"

A blush coloured Scorpius' cheeks at the way Albus laughed.

When Albus noticed the way his amusement had affected his friend, he sobered, scooting closer and nudging at Scorpius' arm to get him to look at him.

"Hey. I still don't get what you're worried about. I guess I'll miss the castle too, but we'll be back in September. I bet it'll be like nothing's changed."

"You really think so?" Scorpius asked with a furrowed brow.

"What are you expecting to happen?"

Scorpius sighed, staring down at the blades of grass he'd taken to shredding before he answered.

"I just don't want to come back to school in September and us feel like strangers."

Albus laughed, but he tried to grow serious when he noticed Scorpius wasn't joining in, though he couldn't entirely erase the smile from his face.

"Don't think you're getting rid of me the whole summer," he said. "Obviously you can come over to our house anytime you want. You better come over, actually, because there's only so much James I can take. I'd much rather be spending time with you."

"Really?"

Albus' smile grew fond at Scorpius' surprise.

"Of course. I just hadn't said anything because I figured you knew I'd want you to visit. Maybe we could convince my parents to let us explore London by ourselves. They've never let me before, but if I have you along…"

"You can come to Malfoy Manor too," Scorpius said, suddenly far more animated. "If you want to at least. You probably don't want to. Your house is definitely a lot brighter and exciting than mine. I mean, I've never been there, but I bet it is. But if you wanted to come to my house, you could, and we could try to find something to do. Maybe."

Albus laughed, and this time, Scorpius joined in.

"That would be nice," Albus said. "It'd be interesting to see the prestigious Malfoy Manor."

Scorpius scowled at Albus' chosen descriptor of his family home, and Albus laughed even more. Scorpius, feeling lighter than he had in days, couldn't help but join in.


	2. Lay Your Weary Head to Rest

**A/N: Written for the Insane House Challenge on the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum: (788) Wayward Son by Kansas. Word count: 651**

 **Lay Your Weary Head to Rest**

Scorpius shivered as he navigated through the manor. He kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting to accidentally see any strange shadows that might convince him there was something sinister afoot.

Most of the time, the Manor was home, but during the night, after a nightmare like the one he'd just had, Scorpius felt less settled in the place. It had been easier when he hadn't known much about the house's past, but knowing that his home had once been Voldemort's home base had rattled him since he'd learned of it.

His feet took him towards the kitchen without him needing to think, and he flung the door open, eager to start a fire and take comfort in the light it provided. Instead, he found a fire already cackling in the fireplace.

Instinctually, his hand reached for his new wand, which he'd stored in his dressing gown with a shaking hand after waking, before he realized it was his father sitting at the table. Scorpius pushed away the pang of sadness at feeling the unfamiliar wood of his new wand between his fingers. He dropped it back into the pocket of his dressing gown.

"Scorpius?"

Draco half stood as he noticed his son in the doorway before thinking better of it and retaking his seat, clutching a cup of tea between his hands. He inclined his head towards the empty chair across from him, and Scorpius took it, mumbling his thanks as his father levitated a teapot and empty cup towards him.

"What are you doing up?" Draco asked.

Scorpius didn't look at his father as he took a sip of his tea, but he knew there was no way to escape answering. They were supposed to be opening up to each other after what had happened. Scorpius had wanted that so much. He couldn't sacrifice it because of his own momentary discomfort.

"I had a nightmare," he admitted. "I was back in the universe where Voldemort had taken over everything and there was no Albus. In the dream...I was torturing a Muggleborn and enjoying it. It was terrible."

He continued to stare down at his tea, no longer able to take a sip as his stomach churned. His father was quiet for a long time.

"Scorpius, it'll get easier. The nightmares will go away."

Scorpius lifted his head slowly, looking at Draco with scepticism. Whatever would happen in the future, it didn't matter when he couldn't get a good night's rest in the present. He was exhausted, and the exhaustion only made the nightmares and the anxiety they produced worse.

He felt tears sting at his eyes, and Draco's eyes widened in panic across from him. His gaze flickered around the room as if there was something that would save him from his son's tears, but in a moment of resolve, he realized that he shouldn't escape.

He stood and maneuvered quickly around the table. Pulling Scorpius up from his seat, he pulled the boy into a hug.

Scorpius still wasn't used to receiving physical affection from his father, so it took a few seconds for him to sink into the embrace, but he did so, burying his face into the folds of Draco's dressing gown.

"I'll prepare a sleeping potion for you to take," Draco whispered. "That will help with the nightmares."

Scorpius took a shaky breath.

"Thank you, Dad."

Draco offered him a small, hesitant smile as they pulled away from each other.

They were mostly silent as Draco prepared the potion. Scorpius felt sleep begin to overtake him as soon as he swallowed the full phial. He laid back and let his father tuck the blankets in around him much like his mother had done when he was younger.

He felt Draco's hand in his hair as he began to drift off and thought he might have heard him telling him not to cry anymore.


	3. Telescope

**A/N: This was written for Professor Tonkiism's "Three Terms at Hogwarts" Competition on HPFC. My prompt was "telescope". Word count: 113**

 **Telescope**

Scorpius adjusted the lens of his telescope and gasped as the constellation he was named after came into focus. He'd looked at it more times than he could count, but he still got a thrill from it. Being named after something anyone could gaze at made him feel proud, and he loved the summer months when he could find it for himself.

Over the years, he'd done more than his fair share of reading on the mythology inspired by the constellation, and he'd wondered time and again why he was named after the constellation that served as a reminder of humility. He never asked.

He liked that he was in the stars anyway.


	4. I Know

**A/N: Written for the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum Assignment 4: Biosciences, task 4: write about a pessimist. Word count: 956**

 **I Know**

Three days. That was all the time Albus had left at Hogwarts. After that, he'd leave and possibly never come back.

It was strange to think about after seven years of living in the castle. He'd spent most of his time at Hogwarts loathing the place, and only when his departure was imminent was he realizing how much of his life had been spent within the castle's walls.

He wasn't a popular guy. Scorpius was still the only close friend he had, but he and Scorpius might have never become friends if it weren't for Hogwarts. True that his and Rose's friendship might never have wavered if it weren't for Hogwarts either, but they had at least begun to mend their relationship over the last couple of years.

Overall, Albus didn't consider his life terrible anymore, though he would only begrudgingly admit that to his parents if they were to ask. Hogwarts was familiar after so long, and that familiarity was preferable to the unknown Albus found himself facing.

He was sitting on the edges of the lake, stewing over the impending doom he felt, when Rose dropped down beside him and soured his mood further.

Albus didn't say a word as she gathered her bushy hair into a bun.

Fanning herself with her hands, she said, "It's too hot out here. Why do you always have to sulk by the lake, Al? You should become a marine explorer or something if you still don't know what you want to do."

"It's not that hot," he said defensively. "You're not dressed properly for the weather."

It was true. He'd donned a pair of Muggle shorts and a t-shirt whereas Rose was still in her school uniform. Despite what might be said about the breathability of robes, they had never been Albus' clothing of choice in the warmer months.

Rose leaned back on her palms, her signature smirk in place.

"Don't get yourself worked up. It's not a big deal."

Albus rolled his eyes.

"What are you sulking about anyway?" Rose asked, tilting her head back to absorb the sun despite her earlier complaints. "In a few weeks, you'll be free of this place. Isn't that what you've wanted since you got here?"

Albus shrugged uncomfortably.

"Kind of," he admitted. "It's just…"

"Don't tell me you've grown to love the place, Al, because I won't let you live it down."

He glared at her.

"I never said that," he snapped. "What I was going to say is that you and Scorpius both know what you're going to do. You'll be holed up with your research, and Scorpius'll be off in Japan for a year because of that stupid internship."

"I knew it was about Scorpius," Rose said with a laugh. "You've been sullen since he got accepted into that program, but you should be excited. Your boyfriend gets to learn about broommaking from one of the greatest broommakers in the world."

"Don't talk as if I don't know that," he snapped. "I know it's stupid, okay? Just leave me alone, Rose."

Rose leaned away from him, one eyebrow raised.

"Okay," she said, pushing herself up from the grass. "I'll see you when you've gotten your head out of your arse."

Albus scowled at her back until she'd disappeared from sight.

* * *

Albus grinned as he entered their dormitory and found Scorpius standing there. When he realized that his boyfriend was packing his things in his trunk, the smile was zapped from his lips.

"That eager to leave?" Albus asked, doing his best to keep his tone light.

Scorpius whirled around, the set of robes in his hands wrapping around his body as he went. Scorpius hardly paid them any attention as he unsuccessfully tugged at them. He was too busy beaming at Albus. Albus felt his grin returned despite his disappointment.

"I didn't think I'd be saying this months ago," Scorpius said as Albus came to perch on the end of his bed, "but I kind of am? I get to study broomsticks from the best of the best! And I know you give me a hard time about being too eager sometimes, but you have to keep moving forward, right? That's what Dad told me over Christmas, and the internship is such a huge opportunity. It's hard to believe it's real."

Albus hummed, his lips pressed tightly together. Scorpius froze, now detangled from his robes, and sat down beside Albus.

"What's wrong?"

Albus stiffened.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm fine."

He turned his head to escape the disappointment on Scorpius' face.

"Albus…"

Albus deflated and let himself sink into Scorpius' side as Scorpius wrapped an arm around him.

"Going to Japan is the chance of a lifetime for you," Albus acknowledged, earning Scorpius' cheek pressed into his shoulder in response. "It's not that I don't want you to go."

"I know," Scorpius said, voice muffled by Albus' shirt.

"I just hate the thought of you being all the way across the world, and I know it's only for a little bit, but we won't be together at Hogwarts anymore. What if we stop seeing each other at all?"

Scorpius pushed himself upright and leaned forward to make Albus look him in the eye.

"What makes you think that would happen? Albus, we've been best friends for seven years and dating for two and a half. As if we're going to just stop seeing each other because we're not at Hogwarts."

Albus shrugged, avoiding Scorpius' gaze by looking at the floor.

"I know that," he said.

Scorpius took one of Albus' hands in both of his own and kissed the back of it.

"We'll be fine, Albus."

"I know," Albus whined, doing his best to believe it was true.


	5. Weasley Jumpers

**A/N: Written for the Favorite Character Boot Camp on HPFC. I'm writing for Scorpius and used the "absorbed" prompt for this one. It was also written for three events on the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum: Slash September - Scorpius (Scorpius/Albus), Back to School - spending a holiday at school, and Leaf Pile - (setting) Hogwarts. Word count: 700**

 **Weasley Jumpers**

For six years, Scorpius had wanted desperately to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. He'd daydreamed about it in the days leading up to the holiday each year, but in his early years at school, he'd wanted to spend time with his mother. Then, after her death, he'd felt obligated to prevent his father from spending the holiday alone.

In his seventh year, though, he had been adamant about staying. It hadn't been as difficult as he had expected to convince Albus to do the same. In fact, he had acted downright relieved at the idea of avoiding one Christmas with his family. Scorpius didn't understand it. If he had Albus' family, he doubted he'd want to stay at Hogwarts.

"Albus, wake up!" Scorpius shook his boyfriend's shoulders to wake him. "Presents!"

Albus grumbled about being disturbed from his sleep, but Scorpius' joyous mood soon had him grinning and sitting up in bed. He watched as Scorpius tore through his gifts.

"Open yours then," Scorpius urged, not liking being watched like a hawk.

Albus begrudgingly reached for a gift from his grandparents, which Scorpius eyed warily. They both knew it was a Weasley jumper before the wrapping paper was removed, and sure enough, Albus tugged out the customarily yellow jumper from its wrappings with a scowl.

"I told her last year," he muttered angrily under his breath, "and the year before, but she never listens."

It was all Scorpius could do from cursing the universe out loud. He'd wanted a nice Christmas, but he had forgotten about this. In the past, he'd only ever heard of Albus' anger over his jumper through letters. Scorpius wondered if he was as vocal about his displeasure when his grandmother was across from him.

"It's the thought that counts," Scorpius said, trying to keep his voice light as he pulled the last bits of paper off a book from his Greengrass grandparents. "Neither of my grandmothers can make anything, I don't think. Getting a handmade jumper seems nice."

"But why mustard yellow?" Albus asked, holding up the offending garment as if it was soiled underwear. "I'm not a Hufflepuff, and even if I was, this particular shade would be an offensive mockery of my house."

Scorpius had learned from Rose—sensing it was better not to ask Albus—that Molly Weasley gave everyone in the family a different colour. He imagined that was difficult with the amount of jumpers she churned out every year. He couldn't blame her for giving someone such a shade, though he had to admit that it wasn't the most flattering of colours on anyone.

Moving to Albus' bed, Scorpius picked up a different package that declared itself to be from Albus' parents.

"What about this one?" he asked, holding it out to Albus.

All he wanted was for Christmas to go back to feeling as magical as it had when he'd woken up, but Albus' attention was absorbed by the jumper. He didn't notice the box Scorpius was trying to hand him.

"For Merlin's sake," Scorpius muttered, reaching for his wand.

A quick spell and the jumper had morphed from its original yellow to a green colour that almost perfectly matched Albus' eyes.

It didn't change the fact that Molly Weasley had knitted Albus a jumper he'd asked not to receive, but it was enough for Albus to look at Scorpius instead of the jumper.

Scorpius tried to grin as he held out the package again.

"From your parents," he said.

Albus still ignored the package as he blinked several times. He surged forward, capturing Scorpius' lips with his own.

"What was that for?" Scorpius asked, giggling as they pulled away from each other.

"I love you," Albus said with a shrug. "I just wanted to show you."

"That spell took me five seconds and no energy."

"It wasn't for the spell," Albus said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "It was for you."

His cheeks were a light pink that Scorpius found adorable. When he gestured with the present again, Albus finally took it from him. Scorpius watched with happiness as he ripped off the paper and let out a loud laugh of happiness at the sight of what was inside.


	6. He Looks Just Like You

**A/N: Written for the Back to School event on the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum using the character prompt Luna Lovegood. Also written for the Favourite Character Boot Camp on HPFC for Scorpius using the prompt "young". Word count: 561**

 **He Looks Just Like You**

The stories of Luna Lovegood had nothing on seeing her in person. Scorpius gaped at her as she sipped her tea that Draco had politely-though reluctantly-offered when she showed up at their door unannounced. Her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head, and she had grindylows dangling from her earlobes. Her robes were a metallic orange colour that Scorpius had never even before, and to top it all off, she kept a quill stashed behind one ear.

Surely this was the first time Malfoy Manor had seen such a sight.

"Let me get this straight," Draco said, doing his best to remain calm. "You want to take my son to the other side of the world on some strange mission to discover new creatures, and you're only just raising the idea a week before you're set to go?"

Luna placed her teacup carefully onto its saucer and smiled brightly.

"That sounds right, yes," she said. "Though 'to the other side of the world' is hyperbolic. We're merely visiting Turkey. The other side of the world would be somewhere in the ocean off New Zealand. As for the short delay, let me apologize again. I only received Albus Potter's letter about Scorpius' interest in my research two days ago myself. As I'm always looking for extra help, I decided there was no harm in asking."

Scorpius looked between Luna and his father, scooting to the edge of the sofa in anticipation.

"Please, Dad," he begged, clasping his hands together under his chin. "This is what I want to do after school, and Luna Lovegood is the best of the best."

He blushed when he remembered Luna could hear him compliment her, his eyes flickering in her direction. She smiled gently at him and took another sip of tea.

Draco watched Scorpius for a moment before his shoulders sunk as he gave in.

"You'll keep an eye on him," he urged Luna, voice low.

"Of course. My own sons Lorcan and Lysander are tagging along too, and they're not much younger. I also think James Potter will be there for part of the trip. He and Lorcan are rather attached to each other."

She trailed off, seemingly becoming distracted by thoughts of her son and James' friendship.

Scorpius bounced in his seat as Draco stood and began saying the customary goodbyes.

"You know," Luna remarked from the doorway, "he looks just like you did when you were young. If it weren't for that, I'd almost assume he wasn't your son."

Scorpius stiffened, mirroring his father. Luna, for her part, was oblivious to the wounds she'd stumbled upon. Perhaps she hadn't bothered listening to the nasty rumours that had circulated wizarding Britain since shortly after Scorpius was born. The ones that accused his parents, mostly his mother, of a wide variety of dreadful things.

"Yes," Draco said, voice stiff, "plenty of people have made that clear."

"Have they?" Luna looked between father and son. "Well, surely they don't say he isn't yours. Anyone with eyes can see that he is. It's like looking at a copy. Then again, I suppose people are apt to believe anything these days."

"Congratulations on being one of few people in Britain not to doubt then. That must be New for you," Draco said dryly, ushering Luna out the door before she could say another word.


	7. Drifting Thoughts

**A/N: Written for the Favorite Character Boot Camp using Scorpius with the prompt "foregoing". Also written for the Build a Zoo challenge using the setting prompt Ministry of Magic. Also written for the Autumn Challenge on the Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum using the word prompt "drift". Word count: 661**

 **Drifting Thoughts**

 _[...] All Ministry employees are required to submit, on a 5-by-3 inch slip of parchment, their vote on the proposal. Please send these to the Department of Internal Affairs no later than October 24th. Employees who fail to do so will face disciplinary action._

 _The foregoing proposal is the only change we are voting on at this time. If you would like to make a different proposal, please send a memo to the Department of Ministry Affairs with your written proposal on one standard 7.5-by-13 inch slip of parchment. We will respond within three weeks._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Carina Considine_

 _Department of Ministry Affairs, Head_

Scorpius laid the memo down with a sigh. He had far too much paperwork piled on his desk, and now he was being asked to vote on whether or not they needed an employee cafeteria in the Ministry. Surely there was someone whose job it was to make that decision themselves. He didn't care much one way or the other, and he didn't appreciate having to be part of the process, even if it was an attempt at boosting employee engagement or whatever kick the Ministry had been on in recent years.

Though he had too much to do to take a break, he lowered his head onto his desk and tried to refocus.

He was having a difficult day as thoughts of Albus drifted in and out of his mind unbidden. Being a newlywed was exhausting, Scorpius was learning. There were so many things he wanted to do, and all of them involved Albus. Exactly zero of them involved Ministry paperwork.

Lifting his head, he looked towards the clock that sat on the corner of his desk. He still had three hours before he could leave. A look at the papers on his desk told him that he might just be able to finish if he applied himself and spent no time thinking about Albus and kissing him when he got home and…

Scorpius shook his head. He wasn't doing himself any favours.

He was an adult, not a teenager, and he could focus without being interrupted by thoughts of kissing. He was the king of focusing, the star. If he got home on time—not late like he frequently did—Albus would be happy, and that would mean… No, no, he wasn't thinking about Albus.

With a sigh, he pushed himself away from his desk and poured himself a cup of coffee from the kettle he kept in his office for these sorts of occasions. He wasn't sure the caffeine would help his drifting thoughts as much as it helped keep him awake, but it was worth a try.

He took a long gulp and pretended that he could feel the coffee spreading through his veins, encouraging him to get to work.

He pulled the report he'd been revising towards himself, looking back over the paragraph he'd been editing before Considine's memo had arrived. If asked, Scorpius would have said that he liked his job with complete honesty. It was a perfectly nice job as far as jobs went, but there were times, such as these, where he wondered _why_ he enjoyed it so much.

There was so much paperwork. You couldn't escape it, and Scorpius could have been…

He wasn't thinking about Albus. He wasn't.

He scratched out an unnecessary word. He added a new sentence for clarification. He could finish the report. It wasn't as if it was difficult. He'd written so many that he had a formula to follow. He knew everything his boss would want included. It was merely time consuming.

Finishing off the revisions, he aimed his wand at a new piece of parchment and watched as the report appeared in its new, fresh state without the markings he'd scribbled all over the old one. He sighed in relief before glancing at the clock.

Two hours left.

He swore under his breath and pressed his face into the wood of his desk again.


	8. Repress

**A/N: Written for the Are You Crazy Enough to Do It challenge on HPFC using the book title prompt "untamed". Also written for the leopard enclosure for the Build a Zoo challenge on HPFC using the setting St. Mungo's. And written for the Favourite Character Boot Camp for Scorpius using the prompt "inconclusive". Word: 638**

 **Warning for discussions of death. Astoria is extremely close to death in this, though she doesn't die in the story itself.**

 **Repress**

Scorpius stared at the sheets on his mother's hospital bed, amazed they were still a bright white despite how long she'd been wrapped in them. He couldn't recall any of the Healers or their assistants changing them, but then, his father had been requiring him to go home each night. He had no idea what happened in the hours he was gone.

Those sheets would be wrapped around his mother until she took her last breath.

Scorpius' eyes travelled up the bed to look at his mother's form. As he took in her sleeping face, he couldn't help but gasp quietly. No matter how many times he looked at her, he was surprised by how ill she looked. Her skin had a greyish tint to it which alerted those looking that she was unwell, and she'd lost so much weight that Scorpius was scared she might break in half before she died of the curse itself.

Fear gripped his heart, but that was commonplace after the months and years spent in and out of the hospital. He fidgeted with his hands as he tried to occupy his mind.

Over the years, there had been a wide variety of treatments, but the tests to determine whether they were working always came back inconclusive. Eventually, her condition would worsen enough that there was no doubt they had failed.

The last tests the Healers had run revealed that his mother only had a few days to live. Scorpius' mind had been in a storm since they'd been told the news. He had no idea what to do. He hadn't written to Albus because writing it down made it feel real. Since he couldn't talk to either of his parents about it, he was left to himself.

He was tempted to scream at all times, but he couldn't do so. Across from him, his father sat, staring at his mother with an emotionless face. Scorpius knew he must be feeling something—he hadn't left her side after all—but you couldn't tell it from looking at him. Scorpius wished you could. Knowing his father was feeling what he was would have been a relief. Scorpius had no idea what to do with his emotions. All he knew was that what he wanted to do—scream, run, possibly throw something—was unacceptable. Malfoys didn't let their emotions become unstable like an untamed Hippogriff. So, he sat quietly, using what little energy he had to keep his emotions contained.

It had been hours since his mother had last woke, yet they sat at her side like she might speak to them again before she passed. Deep in his heart, Scorpius felt like she was already gone. The last time she'd been awake, her pain had been so great that she'd been incoherent. It had been hard to recognize the woman before him as his mother despite their shared features.

Scorpius, too, felt like he was experiencing more pain than he ever had before, though his was purely emotional. It left him feeling guilty because he knew nothing he was experiencing could compare to his mother.

He choked back tears, the sound prompting his father to look at him. Scorpius kept his eyes averted to Astoria's bedsheets, waiting for his father to look away. Suddenly, a conquered handkerchief appeared on the bed before him.

Scorpius murmured a thank you before picking it up to dab at his eyes, not looking at his father.

He gripped the handkerchief in his hand as if that would take away some of the rage inside him. He'd been holding his mother's hand earlier, but he'd had such a strong urge to squeeze that he'd let go, scared of harming her further. That didn't matter to the handkerchief. He squeezed and twisted it between his hands, taking out the emotions that he couldn't speak.


	9. For You

Scorpius rearranged one of the vines hanging near the altar until he was satisfied. Stepping back and inspecting his work, he realized he wasn't actually satisfied and stepped forward again, putting the vine back where it had been previously.

"You have got to take a break."

Scorpius spun around to find Rose watching him with a judgmental eye, her arms crossed against her chest.

"The wedding is tomorrow," he pointed out. "There's not that much time."

"It looks fine," she said, gesturing dismissively at the altar that had been set up behind them. "That thing took hours to get just how you wanted it. You can't honestly think there's anything left to do."

Looking around, Scorpius wished he couldn't still see things that needed fixing. The Weasleys and Potters had been nothing but helpful. He never would have imposed by having his and Albus' wedding at the Burrow, but many of Albus' cousins had done it, and Albus had wanted it so badly. Scorpius didn't want her perfectionism to create any problems.

"Maybe we shouldn't have decided on this many plants," he said. "There's too much happening for all of them to be perfect."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Wasn't the whole point of this to make it look like guests had walked into the wilderness?"

"I wouldn't put it quite like that," Scorpius said with a frown, "but it _is_ supposed to evoke nature, yes."

There was another eye roll from Rose as she muttered, "evoke nature," mockingly under her breath.

"You need a break," she said at normal volume. "Grandma sent me out here to demand that you go inside and sleep before it gets too late."

Scorpius' stomach twisted at Molly Weasley's thoughtfulness, just as it always did. He tried to keep his expression unaffected. Rose had mocked him several days ago when he'd teared up over Molly healing him after he'd pricked his thumb on one of the roses.

He blamed the wedding; his emotions had gone haywire.

"Fine," he said, shivering at Rose's sharp gaze.

Their relationship had gotten better since they'd left Hogwarts, but she still intimidated him. The last thing he wanted was to be on her bad side. Or Molly Weasley's bad side, for that matter.

As soon as he was inside, Molly shooed him upstairs to the bedroom he'd been staying in to prepare for the wedding. He had no idea which Weasley child it had once belonged to, as all of their personal belongings had long since been removed. Somehow, it still retained the warmth that was severely lacking from Scorpius' childhood home, despite how much his parents had tried to add it.

He was about to flop down on the bed and try to sleep when the flowers on the windowsill caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat as he hurried to them, feeling a bit closer to the husband-to-be who he wasn't allowed to see until the ceremony.

There were tulips in every colour imaginable. Some of them had been charmed because no tulip could naturally be such a neon shade of green. That only made Scorpius love them more.

Even before he read the card, he knew they were from Albus, but he smiled at the short note. It wasn't sentimental. Albus had always been lousy at putting his feelings into words, but he didn't have to. The flowers were enough.

His previous anxiety about getting everything perfect faded away as he lifted one of the purple tulips to his nose. The smaller details no longer bothered him. Tomorrow, he would marry the love of his life, and no matter what the ceremony looked like, that was enough.

* * *

 **A/N: It's the return of the colourful tulips that were mentioned in the one-shot "Real Reasons" that I posted. I feel like they're going to come up again somewhere, but we'll see.**

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Bootcamp: Scorpius Malfoy - (word) wilderness

Build a Zoo: chimpanzee enclosure - (setting) The Burrow

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Fortnightly Challenge - The Boyfriend Checklist: He Buys You Flowers - write about receiving a bouquet for whatever reason


	10. Hold Me Close

Most days, Scorpius forgot that he'd had a brief sojourn to a darker reality as a teenager. If he did think of the terror he'd experienced, it felt more like reliving a bad nightmare than something that had really happened. Other days, his memories of that time were potent and refused to leave him. Shadows would appear in the corners of his vision, and he would jump easily as he waited for it to be revealed that he was back in that world.

When he was in the latter mindset, he would curl himself up in a ball in bed, and once he was there, it was hard for him to overcome the paralyzing fear he felt. He would try to get up and live his life, but he'd have a panic attack at something seemingly innocuous and burrow himself back into the covers.

It had alarmed everyone around him when it began happening several years after the experience itself, but they'd been hard pressed to find a way to help. There were potions that eased the feeling, but they didn't always make it disappear.

Much of the time, he had no choice but to wait it out.

He would at the wall or the inside of his eyelids, trying not to think of them as projectors that showed all of the horrible moments of being the Scorpion King.

Over time, he'd learned that the one reliable comfort aside from the potions was Albus.

His husband would climb into bed behind him, wrap his arms around him, and whisper sweet words into his ear.

"It's not real," he'd say.

"Everything is okay."

"I'm with you."

"You're beautiful."

The exact words were always different, but the love behind them wasn't. He would soak in as much of that love that he could. It didn't magically make things better like the potions did, but it did anchor him to the reality that was his, not the one he'd once visited. It was a reminder that he wouldn't feel helpless forever; it would pass as it always did.

Usually, Scorpius stayed silent during these moments, not able to find the energy needed to produce words even if he'd had something to say.

Instead of talking, he'd sink further into Albus' warm touch and soak in Albus' reminders that he was an unsung hero for having saved the entire world. He didn't believe that, even when he was feeling good, but he smiled at the passionate way Albus said it anyway.

Whether he was a hero or not wasn't important. What was important was that Albus would be there to hold him when the darkness set in.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Are You Crazy Enough to Do It challenge: (book title) The Unsung Hero

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - touch

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Fortnightly Challenge - The Boyfriend Checklist: He Tells You You're Beautiful - (word) beautiful

Word count: 443


	11. Spread Your Wings

Scorpius began bouncing his knee, distracting Albus from looking out the window at the other aircraft that could be seen. Albus reached out to grip Scorpius' hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Relax," he whispered, leaning into his boyfriend's side.

It wouldn't do to draw attention to themselves before the aeroplane had taken off, and the Muggles around them appeared entirely calm over the impending flight. Albus was sure that the vast majority of them had flown in a plane before, and he was already self-conscious about his and Scorpius' lack of experience with Muggle transportation.

"I'm trying," Scorpius whined, "but the anticipation is unbearable. How are you handling it so well?"

"People fly every day," Albus replied with a short shrug that didn't hint at the inner turmoil he was experiencing. "Clearly, it can't be that dangerous."

Scorpius nodded, but it did little to actually convince him.

"Albus, I know flying to Australia was my idea, but I'm starting to rethink things. Do you think—"

"We can't get off this plane," Albus said calmly, running his thumb over the back of Scorpius' hand. "We've already boarded, and we're taking off in less than five minutes. I don't think they'd be too happy with us. Besides," he lowered his voice and spoke directly against Scorpius' ear, "we couldn't reserve a portkey at such short notice."

Scorpius visibly swallowed, leaning back in his seat as his thoughts took him to the worst possible scenarios.

"Just think of Australia," he muttered to himself in second person. "You're excited for Australia. We'll get to see James and Lorcan again. We haven't seen Lorcan in ages."

He was almost smiling as he thought about seeing his friend. Out of everyone in Albus' family, Scorpius and Lorcan got along the best, even if Lorcan wasn't technically family. Albus raised Scorpius' hand to his lips to kiss it.

"But it's spring in Australia," Scorpius whined, abruptly shifting gears. "And I'll miss fall and harvest time. It's the best time of the year, and we'll miss it because we're on the other side of the world in springtime."

"Scorpius," Albus said, smiling gently. "You said you wouldn't complain about that anymore. It was the only time I could get off work, and we agreed that missing autumn would be better than missing Christmas."

Scorpius nodded, but he was still pouting about it.

"I know it was the easiest for both of us, but you know how nostalgic I get around autumn. It's when all of the best stuff happens," he said. "Just let me stew for a little bit longer. Once we're there, I'll be fine."

Albus did but only because Scorpius' annoyance over missing autumn was distracting him from his earlier fears of the flight.

Then, the plane began moving, and the seatbelt was the only thing that prevented Scorpius from jolting from his seat. When he realized he couldn't move, he squeezed his eyes shut and pushed himself into the back of the seat instead.

Albus leaned in close, kissing Scorpius' cheek and whispering in his ear, "Think of broomsticks. It's nothing more than a really big broomstick. You like flying."

Scorpius nodded, but it was clear that Albus' words were of little comfort to him. As the plane lifted into the sky, he let out a low whine that, thankfully, didn't prompt anyone on the plane to look their way.

As soon as the plane was in the sky, however, Scorpius relaxed. He opened his eyes, looking around as if something should have changed, only to find the cabin to be the exact same it had been on the ground.

"This isn't too bad," he said, nodding his head as he spoke.

"Really?"

"Really."

Scorpius smiled at him, and Albus couldn't detect any of his earlier fears in it.

"I'm glad I convinced you to take a plane," he said.

Albus grinned and placed a quick kiss on Scorpius' lips.

"Tell me that again in twenty-four hours."

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - nostalgic

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenges - Autumn Prompts: (word) harvest

Word count: 662


	12. Mesmerized

Scorpius gazed at the amber-tinged sky of sunset. He was mesmerized by the way the colours reflected off the surface of the ocean. He hadn't expected the water's surface to sparkle the way it did. It had probably been years since he'd bothered to look at the setting sun, and he was only beginning to remember how many shades of colour there could be. The sea breeze ruffled his hair, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I knew you'd enjoy it," Albus said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's waist and cuddling close.

His proximity blocked much of the wind's chill, and Scorpius was quick to snuggle closer.

"You were right," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes but grinning when Albus placed a kiss on his cheek. "But we're still not going on the sand. That's too close to the water. Besides, it gets everywhere and is uncomfortable."

"Are you still scared of the water? Look at how peaceful it is."

"If anything, seeing how huge it is made the fear worse," Scorpius said. "Look at it. That's terrifying. It just never ends."

"At least you appreciate the sunset," Albus said with a shrug. "That's the whole reason I dragged you out here in the first place. The water just enhances it."

Scorpius hummed in agreement.

The two of them settled into an easy silence as they watched the sun get lower and lower in the sky. Scorpius was mesmerized by the way the colours shifted as the sun moved, but it became difficult to look at the water as it darkened. Tendrils of fear poked at his mind. Finally, the last rays of light slipped below the sky. The sky was quick to fade to black after that, with the stars replacing the sun as the stars of the sky.

"Ready to go?" Albus asked, standing before pulling Scorpius up after him.

Scorpius scrambled for the Muggle torch that laid beside him. Albus had given it to him to blend in with the Muggles before they'd left the Potter house. It was heavy and a little inconvenient, but it was better than getting strange looks as they walked through a Muggle town with their wands out. Scorpius turned the torch over in his hand and hit the side of it lightly a few times. It didn't come on like he had expected it to.

"Uh, Albus, I have what's probably a stupid pureblood question."

"There's no such thing as a stupid question," Albus said with a smirk, giving Scorpius a quick peck on the lips to emphasize his words.

Scorpius gave him a small smile before he asked his question.

"How do I turn on this torch?"

Albus laughed and gently pulled the torch from Scorpius' hands. With a quick flick of a black switch on its side, light shone out of the wider end of the contraption. Scorpius nodded, a little mesmerized by the sight of light shining out of a such a strange object. It didn't seem like it should have been possible. Sometimes, he felt like Muggles had mastered magic in a way that witches and wizards never would.

Albus laughed again, taking Scorpius' hand and giving it a squeeze.

"You're not used to Muggle technology," he said. "Of course you wouldn't understand it. I hardly do either. One of the only things I know is that switches like this usually turn things on and off."

Scorpius gave a short nod.

"I'll remember that for the future," he promised.

Taking the torch back from Albus, he laced his fingers between his boyfriend's and began walking alongside him towards the Potter house. The torch lit their way as they went, and with Albus' hand in his, Scorpius felt at peace, even with the wide open sea at their backs.

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenges - Days of the Year: Ask a Stupid Question Day - Alt. Use the dialogue, "There's no such thing as a stupid question."

Seasonal Challenges - Autumn Prompts: (word) amber

Word count: 631


	13. Pumpkin Carving

Albus didn't do holidays. At least, that's what he told himself. He'd go along with certain traditions, like the Halloween feast or receiving Christmas presents, because it would have been more work to avoid them, but an upcoming holiday didn't fill him with excitement the way it did many others. And he certainly didn't want to decorate anything.

Scorpius viewed holidays very differently. He'd always been excited about any holiday. There had been a phase where he'd informed Albus that it was a new obscure holiday every day, but as Halloween neared in their fifth year, he had gotten more into the spirit of the times than ever before. He had even volunteered them to help carve the jack-o'-lanterns for the Halloween feast on their Saturday off.

The pumpkins that Hagrid had grown were as massive as ever. Albus swore Hagrid had poured growth potion on them when he planted them, and the vivid burnt orange of their skins was just as unnatural as their size. Though Albus couldn't deny that they were gorgeous pumpkins, he dreaded having to carve pumpkins so large and heavy.

He sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, already feeling out of the place, with one of the huge fruits in front of him as he tried to figure out the logistics of his carving.

Beside him, Scorpius was laying out the various drawings he'd been working on for more than a week, trying to choose which one was worthy enough to grace his first pumpkin. He was currently deciding between a smiling monster that didn't correspond to any real creature and a moon with detailed craters on its surface. Albus had no idea how Scorpius intended to turn the drawings into carvings, but considering the time Scorpius had put into the designs, he must have figured it out.

Albus, on the other hand, was going for stereotypical jack-o'-lantern faces on each of his assigned pumpkins, and he still wasn't sure where to begin.

He looked across the table at Rose, whose gaze he'd been avoiding since Hagrid had ushered them over to sit with the other group. She was looking at Scorpius' drawings with narrowed eyes. The table had been strangely quiet since she'd arrived moments after Scorpius and Albus. Even Hugo and Lily, who were the chattiest of the group, were no longer speaking.

"Isn't Halloween supposed to be scary?" Rose asked Scorpius, eyes narrowed.

The small group of student helpers paused in their work to glance at Rose. Albus looked around but didn't see Hagrid, who had gone off to get more pumpkins from his hut right after setting them up with everything they needed.

Scorpius stiffened under Rose's gaze, and Albus shuffled closer in a show of support.

"It doesn't have to be," he said so Scorpius wouldn't have to. "There's also dressing up and eating sweets. There doesn't have to be anything scary about that."

Rose looked sceptically at one of Scorpius' drawings of a smiling vampire whose fangs were half the size of a real vampire's. Even the troll Scorpius had designed was grinning in a way that wasn't the least bit menacing.

"I wanted to try a lot of things," Scorpius said quietly, looking at his drawings instead of Rose. "There's no harm in trying something new. You can see faces any year."

Rose looked at him for a moment before saying, "That's because people expect real jack-o'-lanterns. That's what you get at Halloween."

"I don't expect anything, Rose," James called from further down the table. He was the only one still enthusiastically working on his pumpkin, which looked more like it had been hacked at with a knife than carefully carved. "Carving flowers into these things would be more interesting than them all looking the same."

Rose looked at James' pumpkin with even greater disgust than she'd shown Scorpius'.

"My mother says I shouldn't entertain stupidity," she said, turning back to her pumpkin and picking up her wand to trace a nose. "I'd prefer to stick with designs that make sense."

Scorpius gave his moon drawing a sad look, but Albus placed a hand on his back and smiled when Scorpius looked up at him. Scorpius' frown was quickly replaced with a beaming smile, and he set to work on his moon without another glance in Rose's direction. Albus let his hand linger as he watched Scorpius work, his own pumpkin forgotten until Hagrid wandered over to ask what he was doing.

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenges - Autumn Prompts: (word) vivid

Seasonal Challenges - Colour Prompts: burnt orange

Seasonal Challenges - Birthstones: Citrine - (dialogue) "My mother says I shouldn't entertain stupidity."

Word count: 747


	14. A Visit to Azkaban

The air was colder on the island than it had been on the mainland. Scorpius hadn't stowed a thermometer in his pocket before his trip to Azkaban, but he didn't need one to notice the change. It was something you could feel in your bones. He shivered as he stepped off the boat and followed a human guard past the outermost layer of the Dementors.

Scorpius would have hoped to see the Dementors let go in an overhaul that improved the seemingly ancient prison, but the Ministry kept making excuses for keeping them, the most frequent of which being that Dementors with no purpose would haunt the rest of Britain. So far, it had worked well enough to keep much of the public from thinking much about the issue.

It wasn't his first time visiting the prison, but it was his first time doing so without his parents. In the past, he'd always stuck close beside them, using them as a physical shield from the Dementors and prisoners, even if they couldn't protect him from the sense of hopelessness that permeated the air.

He always forgot how potent the Dementors' effects were between visits. Several steps down the pathway to the door, he was already regretting having come. Though his father had wanted Lucius Malfoy to know of his grandson's impending marriage, Scorpius himself didn't care. In fact, his dread over revealing his news was making the Dementors' job easy. He'd picked at a hangnail enough to make it bleed before he'd even gotten into the boat.

Lucius Malfoy was his grandfather. In the most basic sense, Scorpius wouldn't exist without the elder man, but Lucius was only his grandfather in that least meaningful sense. Through all of the important moments in Scorpius' life, Lucius hadn't been there.

They hadn't even met until Scorpius was ten and his parents taken him to the prison for the first two of them had never had a personal conversation. The general public knew as much—and, in many cases, more—about his grandfather than Scorpius did.

Scorpius didn't care what Lucius Malfoy thought of him marrying Albus Potter. He didn't. Even if he had to remind himself of that as the Dementors amplified his fears of facing the man and his anger.

Azkaban wasn't kind to those locked inside. Images of Lucius' past appearance flashed through Scorpius' mind. His grandfather was too skinny to pull off even the illusion of health. His long hair was unwashed, and he wore dirty clothes. But the worst part of seeing him had always been his eyes. It wasn't just that they were full of despair from the Dementors; they were also full of anger. Scorpius could never shake the knowledge that, if his grandfather ever escaped Azkaban, he would create trouble for everyone.

If Lucius Malfoy had known the real Scorpius at all, he would have despised him. If Scorpius walked up to the man's cell and revealed who he was marrying, Lucius wouldn't be able to pretend he had a grandson he respected.

It had taken years for Scorpius to make a dent in his family's terrible reputation. Each day felt like another step towards improving the family name. Having Lucius Malfoy in his life in any capacity wouldn't help that, even if it was just a simple visit to his jail cell.

Scorpius didn't love the man. He had tried to as a child, especially before he'd met him. It had felt callous not to love his own grandfather, and he'd done everything in his power to find things to admire about the man during their brief visits with each other. It had never worked, and at some point, he had given up, resigned to pretend to care about his grandfather because he was supposed to.

His feet continued to propel him forward, one foot in front of the other, but he was growing sluggish as the Dementors worked on him. His thoughts grew darker.

Images filled his mind of his grandfather's face as he found out that the Malfoy and Potter families would become linked. He imagined the screaming, his grandfather cursing him and vowing to disown him if he ever got out of prison.

The images were Scorpius' imagination, but if he kept going, he knew they would become reality.

One small sliver of resolve broke free of the Dementor's influence, and Scorpius turned on his heel, heading back to the door without a word to the guard escorting him. He wasted no time making it back to the boat, where a different guard wasn't surprised to see him returning so quickly.

He didn't look back at the prison as the boat set off for the mainland.

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Build a Zoo: penguin enclosure - Azkaban

Favourite Character Boot Camp - Scorpius; (word) improve

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenges - Days of the Year: World Vegetarian Day - write about someone who chooses not to do something

Word count: 785


	15. Stern Warnings

Scorpius hadn't been thrilled when he'd been made a prefect. Prefects had to be stern and enforce the rules no matter how angry the students they were punishing became. Scorpius had trouble with confrontation, and even when he was personally appalled by rule-breaking, he had a difficult time confronting others like he was supposed to.

Despite having been a prefect for a year and a half, he kept waiting for McGonagall to take back his badge and give it to someone else.

That hadn't happened, though, and Scorpius did his best to push past his insecurities and do his job. He still had to admit that he didn't look for rule-breakers so much as he stumbled upon them without meaning to. Because of this, he'd never had to break up a snogging couple like most of the other prefects he knew. He certainly hadn't expected to find Rose Granger-Weasley tangled up with another girl on the school grounds.

"Oh, no!" Scorpius shouted, backing away and covering his eyes with his hands. "No! I didn't see anything!"

"Relax," Rose said. He could imagine the way she rolled her eyes without seeing it firsthand. "We're decent."

Scorpius risked another look and saw that they had, in fact, separated from each other. Considering what he'd just seen, they were completely clothed too, though Rose's hair was a little bushier than usual. It was only then that he realized the other girl was Taryn Honeywell, a Hufflepuff in their year who he'd only spoken to once before. Taking a deep breath, he tried to wash away what he'd seen from his mind.

"I, um…" He took a deep breath, bracing himself. "That'll be ten points each from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"Only ten points?" Rose asked with a smirk. "Doesn't snogging usually warrant losing twenty points each?"

Scorpius had no idea. He had neither caught students snogging nor been caught snogging personally before, which he couldn't bring himself to admit to the girls.

"Ten points," he repeated, trying to sound serious, "unless you want to argue and make it twenty each."

"No, I'm good," Rose said with a shrug.

She was still smirking at him, which only made Scorpius more uncomfortable. Though his job was technically done, he hovered in front of them, unsure how he could exit with his dignity intact. Rose took the opportunity to step closer to Taryn and wrap an arm around her waist. Taryn sunk into the embrace, and Scorpius looked away. Usually, that much affection wouldn't be a problem, but he was having trouble not flashing back to what he'd seen less than five minutes before.

"I'll see you later," Taryn said quietly, giving Rose a kiss on the cheek and Scorpius a small wave before disappearing.

"What's wrong with you?" Rose asked as soon as Taryn was gone, stepping around to place herself in Scorpius' line of sight. "Are you gearing up for some lecture on unruly behavior? You look like a scandalized Victorian."

"No," he said quietly. "That was just a bit much, and I wasn't expecting it. Why were you snogging where anyone could see anyway?"

His sudden demand caught Rose off guard. She floundered for a moment before answering.

"No one comes back here," she pointed out. "No one except you apparently."

"I was looking for some violets for Albus," Scorpius stammered out, turning red again at the mention of his best friend. "I'm going to dry them for the scrapbook I'm making as a birthday present."

With a laugh, Rose threw an arm around Scorpius' shoulders.

"You know," she said, guiding him back towards the castle, "you wouldn't be so embarrassed about seeing Taryn and me snogging if you finally snogged Albus."

Despite knowing no one else was around, Scorpius panicked, waving his hands through the air and separating himself from Rose in the process. His head turned in every direction before he was satisfied that they were alone.

"You're not supposed to say that out loud!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "Someone might hear you."

Rose sniggered.

"Relax. Like I said, no one comes back here. And as your friend, I feel as if it's my duty to make sure you don't waste away your life without confessing to my cousin how you actually feel."

"Can we argue about this later?" Scorpius mumbled. "I need to find violets."

"Sure," Rose said with a shrug. "We can argue about it while I help you find your stupid flowers."

Scorpius paused, looking at her distrustfully. They might have become friends over the past couple of years, but Rose didn't typically go out of her way to help people. He'd been amazed the one time he'd gone with Albus to the Burrow and she'd willingly passed him the salt at the dinner table.

"Quit looking at me like that," she snapped. "I can be nice."

"Sure," Scorpius said slowly, though he didn't believe it. He was pretty certain she only wanted to taunt him, but he'd also grown used to that since Rose had decided to be his friend. And he couldn't deny that he did need to be pushed at times. Especially when it came to Albus.

If he was going to confess, however, it certainly wasn't going to be by writing "Please snog me" in violets like Rose suggested several minutes later.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Assignment 8: Defence task 1 - write a fic with the genre friendship

 **HPFC**

Build a Zoo: dolphin enclosure - (setting) Hogwarts grounds/Forbidden Forest

Favourite Character Boot Camp - Scorpius Malfoy; (word) unruly

Word count: 889


	16. Likeable

Each day at work, Scorpius felt like he'd put in more effort than the last. When he'd first started the job, he'd analyzed his every move, trying to ascertain how they'd think of him from a combination of his own actions and their preconceived notions of the Malfoys. His every move had been planned to make him as likeable as possible.

He'd thought that over time, as his co-workers got to know him, it would get easier, but instead, he only felt burnt out from keeping up what felt like a charade, even if he'd never intended for it to be that way. It wasn't that he was an entirely different person; it was that he had to be the best possible version of himself at all times. There was no room for annoyance to any degree.

At first, that had been because he didn't was people to dislike him. Over time, it was what he came to be known for, and he didn't know how to shake off the perception others held without seeming like he'd been a fake all along.

He'd had to accept that he'd created an alternate persona for himself that needed to be worn within the halls of the Ministry. There, he didn't let himself frown. There, he was acquiescent no matter what his true opinion was.

Every interaction with someone else involved policing his every action. He was tired of it, but he didn't see a way to escape it. He wasn't sure if he should even want to, considering he was, objectively, a better person when he was making an active effort to never feel upset about anything.

Whether it was for better or worse though, when he got home, all he wanted to do was collapse on the sofa and not move or think.

Coming home to find Albus already curled up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate was just about the most beautiful thing Scorpius could have imagined. With a sudden surge of energy, he hurried to their bedroom, stripping off his stuffy work clothes and putting on his comfiest jumper and pair of lounge pants.

Albus smiled as Scorpius crawled under the blanket with him, opening his arms to let his husband settle against him. A second mug of hot chocolate was already sitting beside Albus', adorned with whipped cream and a peppermint stick just how Scorpius liked it.

"Thank you," Scorpius murmured, burying his face in Albus' own jumper. "You're warm."

Albus laughed, and Scorpius couldn't help but smile at the way he felt Albus' chest vibrate against him.

"You are too," he said, poking at Scorpius' side in jest.

Scorpius groaned, turning his head so that he could breathe but keeping it against Albus' shoulder.

"I didn't feel warm before," he said, "but I do now. Thanks to you."

"You're so cheesy,' Albus said, but he was grinning, and he tugged Scorpius closer as he spoke.

They sat in silence, Scorpius' eyes fluttering closed as his exhaustion over took him again. Albus' hand gradually worked its way up to Scorpius' hair, playing with it. Somehow, Scorpius was able to sink deeper into Albus' embrace at the touch. Albus pressed a kiss against Scorpius' forehead, and Scorpius felt the grin on his lips.

"It's so relaxing when you do that," Scorpius admitted. "It's one of my favourite things in the world."

He got another kiss pressed to his forehead in response.

His hot chocolate was untouched, but that was fine. Staying in Albus' embrace was preferable to anything else.

When morning came, he'd have to go to work again, but he supposed that was okay if he could come home to Albus once it was done. With Albus, he could relax without worrying what each little action would make Albus think of him. Because Albus knew everything there was to know, and his arms were still warm around him.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - likeable

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: National Golf Day - write about something that relaxes a character

Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Prompts: (object) jumper

Word count: 653


	17. Long Day at Work

When he'd made the decision to become an Auror, Scorpius had held realistic expectations. He'd known that many aspects of wizarding society that Voldemort had capitalized on to gain support remained intact, and he'd known that part of his job would be confronting people who idolized Voldemort—whether they actually understood the dead wizard or not—and wanted to make his stated goals a reality.

Ways in which each of the radical blood purists differed still managed to surprise Scorpius at times. He certainly hadn't expected one of them to take up residence in the old Riddle house in Little Hangleton, but there he was in front of the house, wand in hand, ready to confront a suspect. There was little doubt left that the man they'd tracked to the house was the same one who had attacked a Muggle woman earlier that day in Birmingham.

"He was too easy to find," Scorpius said as he and Veronica, his partner, got closer to the house. "What modern blood purist would hide out in one of Voldemort's safe havens while they're on the run from Aurors."

Veronica shrugged as she used her wand to scan for anyone suspicious around a corner of the house. Finding nothing, she motioned for him to follow her.

"This isn't going to be one of the 'discrete' guys, is it?" she whispered. "This is one of those 'make a loud statement' types. He wants us to find him. That doesn't mean he's going to overpower us."

Scorpius sighed. There was a slight tingle of fear that was impossible to escape when you knew you were about to confront someone who wanted to hurt you, but he wasn't that worried. He had enough experience with this exact type of suspect that he could almost imagine the fight playing out blow for blow. It helped that Veronica had been his partner since he'd finished training. They could read each other in ways they couldn't other Aurors.

They'd spent years training for combat, and the suspect they were tailing had only graduated from Hogwarts a year previously. Apparently with less than stellar scores in Defence and Charms to boot.

A purple spell came whizzing past them, and Scorpius cast a shield charm to make their opponent a little too confident. It would have missed them by a wide berth regardless. Veronica fired off a stunner in response, but the suspect dodged it. Veronica sighed as he disappeared back around the side of the house.

"So much for a quick end to things," she muttered.

"Don't say that yet," Scorpius said, eyes trained on the spot where the man had disappeared. "We've closed off the area. He doesn't have many places to hide."

And he wouldn't want to stay hidden for long anyway. He'd made that clear.

Sure enough, the suspect went to look around the corner again, but the tip of his wand revealed him before he could see a thing. Scorpius was ready. He disarmed the man, and the suspect stumbled forward to chase his wand through the air. He wasn't even paying attention when Veronica's stunner hit him.

For a second, they looked at the prone form of the man lying on the ground.

Veronica sighed.

"Why are the show offs always the ones who can't put up a halfway decent fight?" she muttered, walking forward to take the man's pulse and other vital signs before they transported him back to the Ministry. "He didn't even get in any of the usual insults they throw our way."

"You're going to complain about not being called the 'm' word for once?" Scorpius asked with a grin.

He knew the hell that would have been unleashed if the man had used it.

"We still have to question him," Scorpius said as they lifted the man by the armpits. "Something tells me you'll get to hear him air his views before long."

And Scorpius' instincts didn't prove him wrong.

* * *

By the time he got home that evening, his shoulders ached from hours spent hunched over the interrogation table and his desk. What the suspect had lacked in dueling skills, he more than made up for in sheer stubbornness while being questioned. Scorpius was exhausted.

A sense of calm washed over him as he entered his and Albus' home. He sighed as he removed his shoes, but as he was untying his tie, he felt someone come up behind him, pressing into his back and wrapping their arms around his waist.

"Hello," Scorpius said with a smile, turning in Albus' arms to face him.

"Hello," Albus replied, pushing himself onto his tiptoes to kiss Scorpius.

Scorpius sunk into the kiss and hummed as Albus ran his hands from his waist, up his chest, to rest around his neck.

"I've run you a bath," Albus said, pulling away far enough to speak. "It's ready upstairs, complete with rose petals and bubbles. Charmed to be the perfect temperature."

For a moment, Scorpius thought he might cry.

"You're coming with me, right?" he asked, reaching up to link his and Albus' fingers together before taking a step towards the stairs.

They'd been together for more than ten years, but a light blush coloured Albus' cheeks at the question.

"If you want me to."

Scorpius scoffed playfully, stepping towards Albus to place another kiss on his lips.

"Of course I want you to," he muttered, before tugging Albus with him up the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N: There's probably some level of irony to me posting this when I'm about to go to work with a migraine. At least I'm not chasing down criminals all day...**

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Build a Zoo: owl enclosure - Little Hangleton

Favorite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy- purple

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: National Boyfriends Day - write about someone treating their boyfriend to something nice

Word count: 906


	18. You Can Show Me Everything

Albus' heartbeat raced as he pressed into Scorpius. He could feel every contour of Scorpius' body, and his own reacted to the proximity in ways that left him feeling out of control. It was intoxicating. They'd only confessed their feelings for each other two weeks ago, but he hoped he never became used to the electricity that sparked when they touched.

His hands trembled as he ran them up Scorpius' chest before removing his shirt. It was a cold night, and Scorpius shivered when air worked its way under the blankets they'd ensconced themselves in, making goosebumps erupt across his skin.

Scorpius pulled Albus' shirt over his head too, and Albus let it go, shivering just as Scorpius had. Scorpius pulled him close, and their combined body heat soon made them forget about anything happening outside of their own cocoon of blankets.

Albus trembled as Scorpius trailed his hand along his stomach, but despite his reaction to the touch, a hint of worry worked itself into his thoughts as he became self-conscious of his his stomach and chest.

After more than a year on the Quidditch team, Scorpius had lean muscle that left Albus marveling. Albus, on the other hand, had no muscle to speak of, and despite the heat between them moments ago, he found himself angling his arms in a useless attempt to hide himself from his boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, breathing heavily as he let his head collapse against the pillow beneath him.

His pupils were wide as he stared up at Albus, and Albus longed to kiss him without explaining his insecurities. But he knew Scorpius would pull away and make him answer his question before anything else happened between them. For all the desire in Scorpius' eyes, his brow was also furrowed in worry.

"It's nothing," Albus said, looking at a spot on the pillow just beside Scorpius' head. "It's just, you know, I don't play Quidditch…"

He motioned half-heartedly to his body, though he was still covering it with his arms as best he could while hovering over Scorpius, who looked up at him in confusion for a few moments before he pieced together what Albus meant by the comment.

"You're worried that you're not attractive?"

The disbelief in Scorpius' voice only made Albus more embarrassed. He buried his face in the crook of Scorpius' neck, willing his boyfriend to forget he'd said anything about it.

"Albus."

Scorpius poked his side, but Albus only pressed his face into his neck more, hugging Scorpius close. Scorpius giggled at the show of affection and wrapped one arm around Albus' waist to tug him even closer, but he didn't give up on his questioning.

"You're the hottest person ever."

Albus snorted, unable to stop himself from grinning despite knowing the words weren't true.

"That's ridiculous, Scorpius. Why would you even say something so obviously untrue?"

"Because it _is_ true!" Scorpius declared, throwing the one arm he didn't have around Albus' waist into the air. "I'm serious, Albus. If you could see inside my head when I look at you, you'd know that what I am saying is one hundred percent true. I'd never lie about it."

Albus' embarrassment was mostly forgotten in his amusement. He shifted his weight onto his side so that, even though they were wrapped around each other, he could see Scorpius' face.

"Even if that's true for you, I'm not the hottest person ever. You're definitely the only person who thinks that."

Scorpius shrugged, forcing Albus to shift with the movement.

"That's their loss. Though I'd be okay with none of them stealing you from me."

Albus reached up to push a stray lock of hair from Scorpius' forehead, earning a soft smile in response.

"They'd quite literally have to steal me from you, Scorpius. I don't think I could leave you willingly if I tried."

They smiled at each other for a moment before some of the earlier hunger returned to Scorpius' grin, causing desire to stir in the pit of Albus' stomach. He smirked as Scorpius shifted them both until he was hovering over Albus.

He kissed Albus deeply before moving on to scatter kisses to Albus' neck and chest. The touches turned Albus to goo. He felt like he'd never be solid again, just a puddle in the middle of Scorpius' bed. He didn't think that fate would be bad. He certainly didn't care about his figure anymore. That was impossible when Scorpius was touching him like he was.

Scorpius moved back up to kiss Albus on the lips, and Albus tugged him as close as he could get him, earning a giggle in response.

"You really are gorgeous," Scorpius muttered against his lips.

Albus didn't respond with words, only pulled Scorpius back in.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - show

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: Bald and Free Day - write about someone accepting something about their appearance that they've struggled with

Seasonal Challenge - Autumn Prompts: (weather) cold night

Word count: 795


	19. A Success

Your child only had a first birthday once, and Scorpius was determined to make Mira's perfect. His family and friends could remind him that she wouldn't remember it as much as they wanted. Scorpius knew the party was for him and Albus more than it was anyone else, but Mira would look at the pictures one day, and Scorpius wanted her to know that he'd tried his best.

He'd spent an exorbitant amount of time choosing the best decorations and cakes. By the time he was finished, he was satisfied in knowing that he couldn't have put more effort in even if he'd tried. When the day of the party arrived, his excitement was making him tremble as he ran around putting up the last minute decorations.

Albus caught him by the shoulders as he went to hang up one more balloon in the doorway between the kitchen and hallway.

"Please remember that she's just turning one," he said, holding Scorpius in place with the power of his gaze alone. "She doesn't know what a party is, much less care about it."

"Yes, I know," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "You've only told me a hundred times already."

When he smiled, Albus didn't return it as he usually would.

"I'm just worried something's not going to go how you want it to and you're going to get upset over it," he admitted, eyes narrowing slightly as he analyzed Scorpius' reaction.

Brushing Albus' hand from his shoulder, Scorpius laughed.

"I'm fine. Can't I have realistic expectations but still be excited for our daughter's first birthday?"

Albus was still frowning when Scorpius turned his back on him to get back to decorating.

* * *

The party unfolded perfectly at first. Mira was bubbly and excited about the attention she was receiving, and the guests, mostly family, kept complimenting Scorpius' decorations. He felt good.

By the time he was bringing out the cake, Scorpius was prepared to brag to Albus later about how well things had unfolded, but the second Albus began lowering Mira into her high chair, she started wailing.

Albus gave in and held her close, patting her back until her cries calmed down.

"Mira," Scorpius cooed, getting up close and making her giggle. "It's time for cake. You have to go in your high chair."

Albus tried again, but her screams were louder than they'd been the first time. Scorpius sighed as he debated his options. It wasn't as if they could skip the cake. It was a crucial part of any birthday party, and the family was already packed in the kitchen to watch Mira try it for the first time.

"Come on," Scorpius said brightly, taking Mira from a reluctant-looking Albus. "Look, Mira. Cake!"

Mira took one look at the small cake Scorpius was holding her over and lashed out with one arm, shoving the cake off the edge of the table. Scorpius gasped as he watched it tumble to the ground as if in slow motion. Albus lunged for it, but his only reward for his heroic attempt was frosting coated hands.

There was silence for several seconds before Mira let out a joyful squee and clapped her hands together.

"Well, I guess cake was a success then," James shouted from the back of the room.

Ginny stepped forward, cleaning Albus' hands and the floor with a wave of her wand. Scorpius gaped as the cake he'd carefully designed vanished. He was still staring at the spot on the floor where it had landed as Ginny patted his back.

"It'll be fine," she assured him. "We still have the big one. Do you want to give her a piece of that?"

* * *

Later that day, after their guests had gone home, Scorpius found himself sitting on the couch with Mira held to his chest. She'd fallen asleep before her grandparents had even left, and Scorpius had taken her sleeping form from a reluctant Draco as he left.

While Scorpius knew he should put her in her crib so he could help Albus clean up, he couldn't find it in himself to put her down yet. He liked having her close, and listening to her steady breathing put him at ease in a way that nothing else in the world could.

Albus found them like that once he'd finished the dishes. He settled against Scorpius' side, stroking Mira's hair and placing a kiss against Scorpius' cheek.

"You okay?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes at the question.

"Of course I am," he said. "I told you before. I had realistic expectations. Do I wish she hadn't pushed the cake off the table? Sure, but it's fine. What's important is that she had fun, and I think she did."

"She was thrilled with the attention," Albus confirmed with a short laugh.

They smiled at each other as they thought back to the way Mira had giggled as she was given present after present to rip the paper off of.

Albus laid his head against Scorpius' shoulder, closing his eyes to rest after the hectic day, and Scorpius decided the birthday party really didn't matter that much. He'd consider it a success.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - tremble

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Assignment 10 - Muggle Music: task 12 - write about someone anticipating something

Seasonal Challenge - Days of the Year: It's My Party Day - write about someone crying on their birthday

Word count: 857


	20. You've Grown

**Content notice: References to death**

* * *

Scorpius left his trunk with his father and hurried across the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Though he had been away at Hogwarts for months, he knew his mother would be down at the lake. It was her favourite place to go when she wasn't stuck indoors.

The garden was beautiful in the summer, but Scorpius hardly spared it a passing glance as he hurried through the winding paths and secretly cut across the grass a few times.

Sure enough, Astoria had settled on the edge of the lake. She was in her wheelchair, which meant she was having one of her bad days. Scorpius' heart tightened, but he tried to push his fear of the future from his mind. His mother was alive, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Her eyes were on the geese frolicking together in the lake. She didn't notice Scorpius approaching until he was right at her side and able to see her content grin as she looked out over the water.

"You're home," Astoria said, looking away from the geese and towards him with the same happy grin on her lips. She tilted her head back to get a good look at him. "When did you get so tall?"

Scorpius shifted and tugged at the hem of his shirt as if it would hide his height.

"I haven't," he said.

While he hadn't been measuring himself at Hogwarts, he didn't feel like a different size than he'd been when he was home for Christmas. Plenty about him had changed internally over the past year, but there had been far too much going on for Scorpius to pay any attention to his outward appearance.

"You have," Astoria insisted. "You're growing into a wonderful young man while you're away at Hogwarts. It's only a shame that I don't get to see it happen for myself."

Scorpius tried to smile, but he couldn't stop his shoulders from slumping as he thought about how much time he was spending away from his mother while he was at Hogwarts.

"Me too. I miss you while I'm there."

Astoria widened her smile in a false attempt to cheer him up. Reaching out, she gave his hand a squeeze. Scorpius pretended that her grip was as strong as he remembered it being when he was little. He could almost manage it.

"Smile," she said softly, reaching up to nudge at his chin. "Things are good for both of us."

Scorpius couldn't stop himself from grimacing, which earned him a sharp look from his mother.

"They are," she stressed. "I read all of your letters. You've had a fine first year at Hogwarts, and I know the other six will be just as wonderful for you."

"Mum," Scorpius whined, shifting uncomfortably and staring out over the water. "I'm an outcast. I have one friend in the entire school."

Astoria tugged on his hand to take it in both of hers, patting the back of it.

"Albus Potter seems like a wonderful friend to have though," she said with a smile. "From your letters, it sounds like you've found exactly what I was hoping you would when we sent you off to school."

Scorpius grimaced.

"When you and Dad told me to make friends, I don't think you expected it to be a Potter."

Astoria laughed.

"No, I admit that it was hard to picture at first, but I was never anything but happy that you received Albus' friendship. Your father was stunned at first and maybe a little distrustful of Albus' intentions, but neither of us were angry."

Scorpius nodded. He wondered if it would be a good time to bring up the idea of Albus coming over that summer. He'd been thinking about it for a month, but he hadn't brought up the idea to Albus, worried that it was a terrible idea. No matter how much he tried to, he couldn't picture Albus and Draco in the same room as each other, so he kept stalling over voicing the idea to others.

He pushed the thought from his mind to focus on his mother. She looked pale, and he knew his time with her was limited. That fact had been easy to forget while he was away at school.

"I love you, Mum," he said quietly, almost choking on the words.

Astoria's smile was sad as she raised his hand to her lips to press a kiss against the back of it.

"I love you too, Scorpius. You're the closest thing to a miracle I've received in this life."

Tears welled in Scorpius' eyes, but his mother chose not to mention them as they stayed there together looking out at the lake, hands gripped tightly together.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: peppermint frosting - "When did you get so tall?"

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp - Scorpius Malfoy - geese

Word count: 788


	21. Helping

It had been months, and Scorpius still couldn't believe he was going to be a father in several months' time. It had been a long road filled with him and Albus discussing having a family, Rose agreeing to be a surrogate, Lily agreeing to donate some of her eggs, and any number of smaller steps along the way. All in all, Scorpius had come to believe it might never happen, so to have reached a point where he no longer had things to do every single day was strange.

While he trusted Rose to be taking care of the baby as best as she could while it grew, he couldn't shake off his incessant need to be doing _something_ to prepare for the baby's arrival at all times. Albus had taken to comparing him to an electric current that was constantly running, much to the annoyance of those around him who kept getting shocked.

Though it was in the back of his mind that he should probably calm down, he couldn't quite bring himself to, so he found himself Apparating to Rose's flat one morning on his day off. Just like he had on all of his days off since her positive pregnancy test. He hardly even noticed the sharp look she gave him as she opened the door.

"I was looking through this catalogue," Scorpius said, holding up said catalogue while still standing in the doorway of the flat, "and wondering what you thought about these two pairs of booties. Which would be more flattering on the baby? I like the lavender, but it's hard to be sure which is better when we don't know what the baby will look like. What if peach suits them better than the lavender?"

Rose blinked at him once before turning on her heel without answering and heading down the hallway of her flat to the kitchen. Scorpius hurried after her, swinging the door shut behind him.

"Is there such a thing as flattering on a baby?" Rose asked as she set to work making tea. "I thought you could put them in anything and everyone would still coo over how cute they are."

"Of course they'll be cute in anything, but the right clothes could make them even cuter. This is important, Rose! Albus and I have waited too long for this baby to put it in the wrong clothes!"

Rose sat the kettle on the stove with a sigh, rubbing at her eyes.

"Scorpius, I'm saying this because I care and no one else will do it. And also because you're driving me up a wall, and I'd like you to shut up. But you need to calm down. The baby won't care if their booties are lavender or peach. If you must, buy them both. All I can tell you is that I certainly don't care which colour you choose. To be honest, I'd rather be left alone because I know I agreed to carry your child, but I feel like I haven't had time to myself for more than a month because you're over here every other day asking me about decorations and trying to comfort me through morning sickness that I can handle on my own."

Scorpius was quiet for a moment as he processed what Rose was saying.

"I'm sorry I've been irritating you," he said with a frown. "Albus said I was being a little too," he motioned wildly through the air as he failed to come up with a word, "but I don't know what else to do, Rose! Everything needs to be perfect! And you agreed to do this to help us, so I want to help you if I can."

"What I need from you more than anything is a break."

Scorpius deflated.

"Look," Rose said with a sigh. "Can we come up with a deal? You can come over twice a week, but I get the other days to actually rest. When I'm about to actually pop, we can talk about making it more often."

"Fine," Scorpius replied, eager to agree to anything that still let him check in on the baby. He had no idea how he was going to survive the days when he couldn't come, but he'd worry about that later. "I'll go now. Sorry, Rose. Can I say goodbye to the baby?"

Rose nodded and stood still to let Scorpius stoop down to her stomach and speak in baby gibberish for several minutes. She rolled her eyes as he stood back up. She'd made it more than clear in the past that she thought the way he talked to her stomach was ridiculous. He worried a bit about what she said to the baby when no one was around, but he was too scared of the answer to ask.

"Oh, and Scorpius?" Rose called, stopping Scorpius at the door. "Next time you come, can you bring me some chocolate? That might get you a warmer reception."

"Chocolate," Scorpius said decisively. "Will do!"

Even after his agreement, Rose wasn't prepared for the giant bar of Honeyduke's Best she was presented with the next time Scorpius was at her door.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - electric

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Assignment 10 - Herbology: write about a pregnancy

Word count: 860


	22. In Verse

Scorpius stuck to the back, terrified of getting too close to the stage and someone mistakenly thrusting him onto it. He couldn't believe he'd worked up the courage to come to the thing.

He'd stuttered through ordering a sandwich and taken the table that was shoved into a corner. Looking around, he seemed to have been the only patron who had come to the poetry reading without a friend, and that only made him more self-conscious. He wasn't sure how many of the others in the audience were gay like the poet—like him—but he sure felt like just showing up had put a neon sign over his head declaring him to be queer.

He chewed on a chip, wishing he wasn't too afraid to ask for some ketchup that he hadn't been given with his plate.

Cho Chang, arguably the greatest poet to come out of magical Great Britain in the last several decades took to the stage to the sounds of applause. It wasn't a large crowd, but it was as large as Scorpius could imagine the crowd for any poetry reading being. It wasn't as if they were at a rock concert.

He picked up his hamburger, hoping to disguise the look of wonder on his face by continuing to eat. Maybe some would assume he'd just stumbled into the restaurant on the night the poetry reading happened to be taking place. Surely some of the other patrons had done just that.

Cho greeted them, and Scorpius kept his gaze on the table in front of him as if he was entirely uninterested in what she had to say, as if he wasn't hanging on every single word that left her mouth.

She delivered verse after verse. Not all of it related to her sexuality, but those were the ones that Scorpius held most dear, the ones that had made him a fan in the first place. The ones that had helped him begin coming to terms with himself, even if he wasn't all the way there yet.

When she was finished, seemingly everyone in the bar wanted to talk to her. Scorpius stayed at his table, wanting to work up the courage to say something but not able to do so. When she'd talked to everyone, Cho ordered herself some food and sat down in the table next to Scorpius'. His heart stammered. He'd finished his food a long time ago, and it was becoming increasingly suspicious for him to not move an inch from the table.

"Excuse me," he called, his voice trembling.

Cho looked up from her food with a small grin, and Scorpius braced himself for what he was about to say.

"Your poetry is really powerful."

"Thank you," Cho replied easily, as if she couldn't detect any of the fear in his voice. "Are you a poet too?"

Scorpius blushed.

"N-no," he stammered. "Why would you think that?"

Cho shrugged.

"I get the sense you'd be good at it if you gave it a shot."

Scorpius stared at her, unsure how she'd come to that conclusion when she hadn't spoken to him before. Something in him stirred, and he blurted out the truth.

"I've written some stuff, but it's not any good."

Her smile was gentle, and Scorpius felt a little less anxiety than he had before.

"Everyone gets better with practice, but it's probably not as bad as you think it is."

He really thought she was wrong about that, but he wasn't going to push her on it. If they kept talking about his poems, he might get backed into a corner of showing them to her, and then she'd really see just how terrible they were compared to hers.

"I need to go," he said, putting the money for his meal down on the table. "Thank you for your poetry. I really enjoyed it."

She smiled at him as he left, and he knew, somehow, that she could see right through him. His cheeks burned, and he refused to look back at her as he hurried out of the bar.

* * *

 **Prompts**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: fresh fruit topping - (action) eating

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Themed Prompts: Cho Chang

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - verse

Word count: 680


	23. Disillusioned

"I'm going to bake a cake without magic."

Scorpius watched as Albus paused with his mouth full of pancake, his eyes widening. He hurried to swallow.

"What?" he asked, setting is fork down.

"I'm going to bake a cake without magic," Scorpius repeated. "It's Christmas, and I want to do something special. It can't be that difficult. I've been baking since I was a kid."

"With magic," Albus said slowly. "Are you sure about this? Baking without magic looks really hard. If you have magic, why not use it?"

"Because I want to try something new." Scorpius stood up to put his plate in the sink, dropping a kiss to Albus' cheek as he went. "Have a little faith in me. Muggles do it all the time. Surely I can too. By the time you get home from work today, I'll have a fully baked cake waiting to be eaten your family's Christmas dinner."

Albus watched him silently, mouth turned down in a frown, but Scorpius was all smiles as he tugged Albus up from his chair.

"You need to get going," he said, placing a kiss on Albus' lips that Albus gladly returned.

"Good luck," Albus said, giving Scorpius one last kiss for good measure. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."

Scorpius scoffed as Albus disappeared into the fireplace.

* * *

From the kitchen, Scorpius heard the fireplace roar to life in the sitting room. He gave one last wave of his wand, watching the dishes he'd washed organize themselves neatly in the drying rack. He'd planned to have them put away in the cupboard before Albus got home, leaving no evidence of his eventful day, but he forced himself not to care as he slipped his wand into his back pocket seconds before Albus entered the kitchen.

"Hey," Albus greeted with a smile, heading straight for Scorpius to give him a kiss.

Scorpius pulled back enough to mutter his own, "Hello," before pulling Albus back in, determined to distract him before he asked about how the baking had gone. Though Albus was more than happy to play along at first, he eventually pulled away with a slight laugh. Glancing around the kitchen, he took in its pristine appearance, one eyebrow raised.

"Did you bake a cake?"

Scorpius sighed. They both knew that, when he baked something, he liked to leave it out on the counter to show it off. There was no cake in sight though.

"I made a cake," he said slowly. "It's in the pantry."

Albus frowned.

"Did everything go okay?" he asked.

His hands gripped Scorpius' waist, thumbs rubbing circles against his robes.

"No," Scorpius whined, tears pricking at his eyes despite his determination to be fine with his failure.

It had been a long day.

"It was terrible, Albus," he took a step forward to press his face into Albus' chest. Albus wrapped him up tightly, holding him in place.

"It couldn't have been that bad," he said, rubbing Scorpius' back. One might have thought that he hadn't been trying to guide Scorpius away from the idea earlier in the day.

"But it was," Scorpius said into Albus' robes. "I'm now entirely disillusioned with Muggle baking. I swear to never do it again. Never. I don't know how Muggles do it, but I've never been more thankful to be a wizard in my life. I'd die without magic, Albus. Die."

He felt Albus' chest vibrate with laughter. Albus pulled him away from his chest far enough to look him in the eyes.

"Don't you think that's a little bit of an exaggeration?"

He pushed a strand of Scorpius' hair away from his forehead before letting the back of his fingers trail down Scorpius' cheek.

"No," Scorpius pouted. "It's just the truth."

Albus gave him a smile before pressing a kiss against his cheek.

"So, you made a cake _with_ magic then?" he asked, pulling away and going to the pantry to see the cake for himself. He nodded with approval at the huge chocolate cake complete with chocolate frosting, candy decorations, and powdered sugar to act as snow. "Merlin, that looks impressive."

Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"It's fine," he said, "but I made it the usual way. With magic. It's not like it was that difficult."

Albus smirked and reached out with one arm to capture Scorpius around the waist again, tugging him to his side where he could see the cake as well.

"I still couldn't do that," Albus said, motioning at the cake. "It looks like something a professional baker would make."

Scorpius shrugged and earned himself another kiss on the cheek from Albus.

"Tell you what," Albus whispered in his ear. "From this point on, you made that cake without magic. I promise not to tell anyone."

They shared a grin for a second before Scorpius gave Albus a peck on the lips.

"Thank you," he muttered, squeezing Albus' side briefly before pulling away to put the dishes in the cupboard, humming as he went.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - disillusioned

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Advent Calendar: "Have a little faith in me."

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: cake 7 - write about baking a cake

Word count: 835


	24. A Christmas of Humiliation

Albus glared at his own reflection or, to be more accurate, the reflection of the ugly Christmas sweater he'd had no choice but to don that morning while getting dressed. It was his third day of wearing an ugly sweater, and he had four days to go before it would be Christmas and the end of his misery. It was more than he could bear. He'd set the sweater from the day before on fire after taking it off, and he had every intention with doing the same with the rest of them. He certainly wouldn't be wearing them again.

While Albus had spent the last two days stewing over how the bet had gone wrong, Scorpius was overflowing with excitement.

"I love it!" he declared, just as he had for the two sweaters that had preceded the current one.

Albus scowled at the reflection of his husband over his shoulder in the mirror. Scorpius clasped his hands under his chin, bobbing on his toes in enthusiasm. Considering the Christmas cheer he exuded, Scorpius should have been the one forced to wear a different ugly Christmas sweater each day until Christmas, but Scorpius wasn't stupid enough to make a bet with James that he would lose.

Though James professed to have picked out all seven of the sweaters himself, Albus was sure Scorpius had secretly helped with this one. His brother may have wanted to see him suffer, but he wouldn't have bought a sweater that said, 'I'm kissable. No mistletoe necessary.'

"You did this," Albus said, making eye contact with Scorpius' reflection.

Scorpius chuckled, rubbing at his neck as he shrugged.

"I might have helped with the saying," he admitted. "But I swear I meant it as a joke when I said it. It was James who went with it. He said I have very original ideas and should think about writing for greeting cards. I'm not sure how I'd like that job though. It's easy to throw things out when there's no pressure. It seems hard to keep being original if you have to write a million of them."

"It's itchy," Albus whined, feeling more like a child than the adult he was supposed to be at twenty-two.

When James had gathered the sweaters for him to wear, he hadn't given much thought to comfort. They were nothing like the sweaters his grandma knit every year. She'd refused to further their squabble by helping James make them, but Albus honestly wouldn't have minded her help. At least then he'd be physically comfortable while being humiliated.

"Here," Scorpius said, using one hand to turn Albus away from the mirror.

No longer able to see himself, Albus tried to forget what his sweater looked like. Perhaps he could make it through the day without looking down at himself. He could pretend he wasn't in a Christmas sweater at all.

Scorpius tapped his shoulder with his wand, and the itchiness of the sweater disappeared. Albus couldn't help but sigh in relief, and Scorpius smiled, leaning in to kiss him briefly on the lips.

"You need to teach me that one," Albus said, tugging Scorpius closer to rest his cheek against Scorpius' shoulder.

"I don't want to go to the Burrow," he said. "They're going to laugh at me like they did yesterday."

"If they've already seen you in the past two, what's the harm in one more? They know you have to wear it anyway."

"Five more," Albus whined, pressing his face further into Scorpius' robes. "Why did I make that bet? I was so sure Louis wouldn't propose until after New Year's. I swear James had information I didn't. The whole thing was rigged."

"It's only five more days." Scorpius ran his hand along Albus' back. "After that, it's Christmas, and you can wear a warm, comfortable Weasley sweater like everyone else. Then, the next time James tempts you with a bet, you say no."

Albus nodded against Scorpius' shoulder, but they both knew that James would bait him into agreeing to his next idea like he always did. No matter how determined Albus was that he would never participate again, James always said just the right thing to break him. The fact that he did actually manage to win about half the time only served as incentive for agreeing.

Scorpius nudged Albus in the side to encourage him to look at him.

"For whatever it's worth, I think you look absolutely adorable in that sweater."

Albus kissed Scorpius on the cheek before pulling away, knowing he'd have to face his family sooner or later.

"No offense, Scor, but that doesn't make me feel better at all. You said the same thing that time James made me wear a chicken costume."

He smirked at Scorpius' indignant sputtering as he headed out of their bedroom.

"Because it was true!" Scorpius called as he followed Albus into the hall.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - overflow

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Themed Prompts: (trait) original

Advent Calendar: (scenario) Character A loses a bet and has to wear a different ugly Christmas sweater every day till Christmas

Word count: 817


	25. Dishonor

Scorpius couldn't help but smile as he held his mother's hand. If he were at school, a lot of the other students would have judged him for doing so, but his mother was dying, and he had every intention of soaking up what time he had with her to its fullest extent. That meant holding her hand when he could.

They strolled down the road in Hogsmeade, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Scorpius told Astoria about his favourite Transfiguration class of the previous school year. Then he rambled on about Albus and how he was adorably confused in every Transfiguration lesson. Astoria smiled fondly at him the entire time, not once frowning or acting disinterested in what he had to say.

Aside from Albus, Astoria was the only person who Scorpius felt comfortable rambling to without stopping. She was one of the few people he didn't have to rein in his enthusiasm with, and his time with her was drawing quickly to a close. Their current outing was the first time she'd left Malfoy Manor in several months, and it very well might have been the last. Already, she was beginning to look paler than when they'd arrived.

He had to stop himself from thinking about it before he cried. It got harder every day to keep a smile on his face, but he still managed it most of the time. He had a list a mile long of stories he wanted to hear from her before she was gone, and listening to her recount them with smiles of her own was often enough to help him forget what was coming.

"Tell me about when you and Dad got married," Scorpius said, tugging on her hand in his eagerness.

He'd heard about how his parents met a number of times, and he'd been gradually working his way through the stories of their courtship over the summer holidays. He'd asked about the proposal just a few days before, and he was more than ready to hear how the big day had gone.

"Our wedding," Astoria said with a sigh that made Scorpius stiffen.

His grandparents been entirely absent from the proposal story, which Scorpius suddenly realized had been a bad sign. He already knew much of what came after the wedding after all.

"I wasn't a happy bride. I cried for hours the morning of the wedding," Astoria said quietly, her voice wavering with emotion decades after the events she described.

"Why?" Scorpius asked, his grip tightening around her hand.

Astoria sighed.

"I love your father," she said slowly. "I always did, but everyone kept telling me that I was making a huge mistake. My parents threatened to disown me for marrying into one of the few remaining ultra-conservative pureblood families in Britain, and I'd stood up to them over the years of dating Draco. But the day of the wedding, knowing they wouldn't be there, the reality of the situation hit me in a way it hadn't before. I couldn't be completely sure I was making the right decision when I knew it would cost me my family."

"Were you?" Scorpius asked.

"Of course I was," Astoria said, smiling down at him and bopping him on the nose. "My decision led to you, didn't it? Still, I was facing the prospect of never speaking to my parents again and of having in-laws who were openly hostile to me. Your father and I both could have been disowned for dishonoring our families. You'd have grown up never knowing any of your grandparents. I was scared of that possibility. Part of me thought Draco and I would be happier choosing our families over each other."

"What made you go through with it in the end?"

Astoria's smile grew distant as she stared down the path in front of them as she imagined the memory.

"I'd like to think I'd have gone through with the wedding no matter what, but to be honest, it was my mother. She came to the wedding despite swearing she wouldn't. She stood in front of me in my wedding robes and said that Draco had to be a good man if I'd chosen him, and she'd decided to give him a chance. She couldn't forgive herself for missing her youngest daughter's wedding."

Scorpius had known neither of his parents had been disowned in the end. He'd even known that his Greengrass grandparents had come to tolerate Draco far more than his Malfoy grandparents had his mum, but that didn't stop tears from stinging at his eyes at the thought of Grandma Greengrass setting his mother at ease.

Astoria's smile was gentle, the same one Scorpius was sure his grandma had shown her all those years ago. She pulled Scorpius close, and he held on to her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder and breathing in her perfume.

"Everything was okay after that," she said, running her hand over his back. "I knew my parents loved me, and I knew in my heart that Draco and I weren't dishonoring anyone by marrying. I walked down the aisle with a smile on my face, just as I hope you will one day if you find someone worth marrying."

"I will," Scorpius muttered, throat burning. "Have a smile on my face, I mean. If I get married."

Astoria dropped a kiss to the top of his head, and Scorpius held on for dear life.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **The Golden Snitch**

Anniversary Event: (words) bride, mother, number

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Fortnightly - From the Shadows: TMNT - Scorpius Malfoy; Sword - (title) Dishonor

Advent Calendar: (setting) Hogsmeade

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - ultra

Word count: 909


	26. I Must Go, but My Heart Remains

**This is the first ficlet in this collection that I would classify as AU, though in many ways the AU elements remain vague enough that it might be possible to make them work within canon. I had wanted to keep AU ficlets out of this collection, but considering the length of this, I think it's best to put it here.**

 **Warning for deception in a marriage as well as references to murder and death.**

* * *

The rain battered against Scorpius' body, compelling him to escape from it, but he couldn't. The hatred in Albus' eyes as he stood in the doorway to the home they'd shared held him in place with a force that nothing else could have exerted. Though the rain soaking through his robes sucked the heat from his body, the rush of his frantic heart kept him going.

His carefully constructed lies had come falling down just like his parents had warned they would if he didn't keep his emotions at bay. He'd failed his assigned task the second he'd fallen for the boy he was supposed to be probing for information, but he'd been convinced he could make it work. No one wanted to hurt Albus after all. Scorpius could love him and complete his familial duties at the same time.

But, seeing the anger in his husband's eyes, he knew that had always been a false hope. All Scorpius had done was hurt them both as well as his family, who no longer had the spy they had worked hard to groom for his position. He dreaded returning to them and hearing them say, "We told you your fanciful ideas would harm us all in the end." There was the possibility of disownment. He could lose his family along with his husband after fighting for so long to keep them both.

The insults his family had told him about Albus over the years ran through Scorpius' mind. His grandmother loved to describe Albus as ornery, going on about how he wore his emotions on his sleeve. He didn't bottle them up like a respectable pureblood would. Scorpius had bit his tongue to stop himself from telling her that was one of the many things Scorpius loved about him so much. He wasn't always pleasant to be around, but Scorpius had always known where he stood with him. That had made it more rewarding when he found his affections returned. Even now, while on the receiving end of more anger than Scorpius had ever seen Albus possess before, Scorpius relished it. He wanted to know how much he had hurt Albus; that was better than cold detachment that made it seem like he had never loved Scorpius back.

"Please don't say anything to others," Scorpius said, tears falling down his cheeks and mixing with the rain. "I know that's too much to ask, but if they find out the truth, I could be killed."

"Then why don't you kill me?" Albus snapped.

He was standing on the porch, leaving him dry. He looked warm with the glow of the light from the open door behind him forming a halo. Scorpius' body longed to return to him and the life they'd had together inside. Every tear that lined Albus' face was visible with the absence of the rain.

"That would take out the threat, wouldn't it?" Albus continued to push.

Scorpius was frantically shaking his head before Albus had finished speaking.

"I can't do that. My parents would tell me to, but I can't." His voice cracked as he struggled to get the words out. "I'd rather you do something that gets me killed than do anything that could lead to your death."

Albus cringed, looking away from Scorpius to the ground.

Scorpius knew he should leave before the situation grew worse, but he couldn't stop himself from speaking.

"There's no way you'll forgive me. I understand that, and I know I deserve it. But I can't leave without making sure you understand that I really do love you. I always have. That's never been fake. I'll leave because you want me too, but you're always going to have my heart. That'll stay with you wherever I physically am because I can't take it with me no matter how hard I try."

Albus balled his hands into fists.

"All I want to know is why," he said, voice barely capable of being heard over the rain.

"And I wish I could tell you," Scorpius said, "but I can't. There are secrets the Malfoy family has kept for generations. If I share them… I'm worried that I wouldn't be the only one who'd pay the price."

Albus stared at the ground for a long time before saying one simple word.

"Go."

Scorpius allowed himself one more second to drink in the sight of Albus before nodding and turning on the spot, disappearing with a pop.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Fortnightly - From the Shadows: "Tears and rain, fall down on my face, my body is unable to stay yet my heart is unwilling to leave." - Sasuke Uchiha

Advent Calendar: (word) ornery

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - pleasant

 **The Golden Snitch**

Anniversary Event: (words) husband, hatred, spy

Word count: 742


	27. Lose a Job, Gain a Cat

Scorpius stared into the red embers of the dying fire. It was late. How late he wasn't exactly sure. Looking at the clock would have required more energy than he was willing to lose. All he knew was that he'd been watching the fire slowly die for hours. It would have been smart to go to bed, but he had no desire to move.

In days past, knowing he'd have to wake up the next morning and go to work would have roused him from his laziness, but he didn't have that drive anymore. He'd been unceremoniously fired after several years of putting in hard work for the company. They hadn't even given him a good reason, and though he knew he'd be fine financially thanks to his parents—which he spent plenty of time feeling guilty about when comparing himself to co-workers who could have been fired—his own sense of failure made it difficult to find the motivation to do anything at all.

There was nothing for him to wake up for in the morning now that he was jobless, so what was the point of getting up from the couch and going to bed? He could fall asleep in the living room instead. Maybe he'd just never leave. That sounded easier. It meant never having to face the people he knew and tell them what had happened.

The high-pitched wailing of a cat broke through his musings, startling him. He held a hand against his heart as he finally stood, heading for the nearest window.

Out in his front garden, a cat sat perched on the fence despite the blizzard raging. Scorpius shivered just looking at the snowfall. Even the fence had snow on top of it, and the cat wasn't happy about being out there. Without checking the temperature, Scorpius knew it was too cold for the animal to be out there.

He sighed, knowing what he needed to do and completely dreading it.

He slipped on his winter boots and cloak with a speed he'd thought he wouldn't achieve for several months at least. If he made it outside only to find the cat had disappeared, he'd be in an even worse mood, but when he opened the door and struggled outside, the cat was still there, perched on the fence.

Scorpius headed straight for it, but the cat hissed as he approached, backing away down the fence. The only thing allowing Scorpius to get all that close was the fact that the cat didn't seem eager to jump off the fence and into the snow below.

"Come on, kitty," Scorpius said, trying to keep his voice as calming as possible despite the storm raging around them. "Let's go inside where it's warm before either of us gets hypothermia."

The cat wasn't having it, and Scorpius tugged his wand out from his pocket with a sigh, pointing it at the cat and muttering a quick calming spell before the cat could back away from him again.

When he stepped forward, the cat made no move to escape. It looked at Scorpius with drowsy eyes as he scooped it up and hurried back into the house with it.

He kept the cat under his robes once they were inside. Though he was chilled himself, he could feel how cold the cat was in comparison to the heat from the room. He hurried to the couch and tugged off the sky blue blanket he'd been using the entire night. It still felt warm from his own body heat as he wrapped it around the still subdued cat.

The cat purred with pleasure as it was enveloped in the warmth, making Scorpius sigh with relief. He took out his wand again to undo the calming spell, but he'd underestimated the cat's dissatisfaction with being brought inside for what was perhaps it's first time.

The second the spell was off, the cat let out a loud hiss, startling Scorpius and prompting him to drop the cat to the ground while somehow earning a large scratch on his forearm in response. The cat was gone before Scorpius could pin his gaze on it, it's hissing still echoing through the house.

Scorpius groaned as he leaned down to snatch up the blanket again. Collapsing on the same spot on the couch that he'd occupied earlier, he threw the blanket back over himself, once again determined to sit there all night. Any other needs the cat had could wait until morning when Scorpius felt better up to dealing with it. Until then, he'd try to ignore the questions of what he'd gotten himself into.

There was a loud crash of several items falling to the ground from somewhere down the hall, and Scorpius cringed. He'd never owned a pet and had managed to forget they could do things like that. With another sigh, he stood from the couch and headed after the cat another time.

As he went, he couldn't help but wonder why having nothing to do had felt so terrible in the first place.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - jobless

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Advent Calendar: (item) fence

Fortnightly - From the Shadows: Katana - (weather) storm

 **The Golden Snitch**

Anniversary Event: (word) kitty, (colours) red, sky blue

Word count: 842


	28. Nothing to Be Done

Scorpius drove the bronze spade he'd inherited from his mother into the ground with more force than was necessary, his frustration getting the better of him for a split second. He sighed, running a hand over his sweaty brow. His hair felt damp, but he was no longer sure if that was because his scalp was sweating or his hands before he touched it. There wasn't a part of his body that was dry anymore, and he'd long since stopped caring.

His favourite hydrangeas were dying before his very eyes, and nothing he did helped. He'd given them more fertilizer. He'd even given them more water than was typically recommended, hoping that would offset the oppressive heat. He'd applied every relevant spell he'd learnt over his seven years of Herbology. Not a single thing did any good. He couldn't magically make it cooler outside. No witch or wizard possessed that much power. The earth did what it wanted to in these cases, and anything Scorpius could do was merely temporary, not enough to counteract that long, severe summer that was killing off his plants one by one.

It was nearly enough to have him throwing in the towel with gardening all together.

Leaning over with his elbows pressing into the dirt, Scorpius tried to keep his voice light as he spoke to the plants.

"Come on. I know you're stronger than this. You can do it."

Any neighbors walking by might have questioned a grown adult down on their elbows to speak to their plants, but whether or not they could understand, providing them verbal encouragement made Scorpius feel better about the whole thing, even if he couldn't explain why. Perhaps he just wanted some quality time with the organisms he'd helped raise before they were gone forever.

Realistically, though, he knew they couldn't hear him, and with another growl of frustration, he tugged his spade from the dirt, tossing it back into his box of gardening tools. He brushed his sweaty bangs from his forehead, not noticing the soil he left behind in the strands.

The door to the house opened, and Scorpius sighed, continuing to stare at the plants as he listened to Albus' footsteps approached. When his husband's hand clasped his shoulder, he slumped in defeat.

"You need to come inside," Albus said, his own voice sounding pained as well. "It's too hot out here, and you've been at it for hours. At this rate, you're going to kill yourself trying to save these plants. It's not safe for anything living out here. Dad said the Muggles sent out a warning to stay indoors."

That explained why Scorpius hadn't seen any of the neighbors in the entire time he'd been outside. He hadn't known that it could get hot enough in England to warrant such a warning, but the current summer was surprising him in many ways.

"I'm drinking water," Scorpius muttered, motioning to the water bottle that he truthfully couldn't remember taking a drink of for half an hour at least.

"Scorpius, it's empty."

Perhaps that was why.

"Fine," he said. "A short break isn't going to change anything."

Albus gathered up his gardening tools before Scorpius could do it himself, leaving Scorpius feeling even more useless than he had been before. He grabbed the empty water bottle. Maybe he couldn't save his plants from the sun, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave trash lying around with them.

At least that was one little thing that could make him feel better.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Advent Calendar: (colour) bronze

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - spade

Word count: 588


	29. Breaking Out the Copper

Scorpius eyes stung as he mixed together the ingredients for the cake batter in the heavy copper bowl that had been one of the heirlooms left to him after his mother passed. His fight with Albus weighed on his mind no matter how intently he focused on measuring out each ingredient.

He'd foregone magic to mix the ingredients himself, taking out his frustration as he spun the spoon around and around in the bowl with force he hadn't realized he possessed. Though his arm was growing sore, he welcomed it, wanting the sensation to overtake his thoughts.

Since he was little, he'd used baking as a distraction from pain. His mother had taught him how to make all kinds of things, and he'd used it to cope after her death despite memories of her being interwoven with anything he baked. The copper kitchenware she'd left behind only strengthened the connection he felt with her when he was in the kitchen. He tried to take as much comfort from the objects as he would have her physical presence. It was difficult, but he had gotten better at it over the years.

The ingredients mixed to form the batter, and Scorpius reluctantly stopped his mixing. He slid the cake pan across the counter before carefully pouring the batter inside. He focused on the way the batter fell from the bowl like a curtain, much slower and thicker than water. It had fascinated him as a kid, and when he was at his lowest, he let it fascinate him as an adult. It was therapeutic, baking, and paying attention to the smallest of details was Scorpius' favourite part.

He smoothed the top of the batter and stuck the cake in the oven, smiling as he watched it begin to bake. Satisfaction beat his sadness for a second as he took in what he'd managed to accomplish. It didn't matter how often he baked, he still felt proud when he managed another dessert.

The sound of the Floo carried from the sitting room, and Scorpius sighed. Wiping his hands on a towel to rid them of a bit of cake batter that remained, he headed towards the room, ready to come face-to-face with his husband for the first time since their fight.

Scorpius and Albus nearly collided in the doorway, sending Scorpius stumbling backwards. Albus' hand shot out to capture his elbow, steadying him. Scorpius blinked several times before he processed the large bouquet of flowers clutched in Albus' arm.

"These are for you," Albus said, holding out the flowers with a gentle but hesitant smile.

Whatever they'd been arguing about before, Scorpius couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. His heart stuttered as he took the multi-coloured tulips he loved so much. There were so many shades that he couldn't immediately identify them all.

"Thank you," he said, stepping forward to press what was meant to be a quick kiss against Albus' lips.

Albus pulled him in, deepening the kiss, and Scorpius let him. They carried on for several minutes until it dawned on Scorpius that the tulips were being squished between them. He jumped back with a yelp.

"The tulips!" he exclaimed, checking them for damage.

A few of them would have to be sacrificed to the bin, but most of them were salvageable. He hummed to himself as he pulled out his favourite vase and filled it with water, sitting it and the tulips in the centre of the kitchen table.

"You're baking," Albus said with a fond laugh.

"Of course," Scorpius said with a smirk, still busy arranging the flowers in the vase.

Albus came up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist.

"I really am sorry," he said, pressing his cheek against the space between Scorpius' shoulder blades.

Scorpius brought his hands up to cover Albus' over his stomach, letting them stay like that for a moment. When he turned around, Albus tilted his face back to look at him, a content smile on his lips. Scorpius leaned down to kiss him once more, assuring him that everything was fine.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - copper

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal - Days of the Year: National Fruitcake Day - Write about someone baking.

Word count: 684


	30. In the Cards

**Content notice: This ficlet centers around gambling addiction.**

* * *

Scorpius' hands shook as he entered the familiar Muggle casino. Though he had originally chosen this casino out of a desire to avoid people he knew, it had grown into a place of comfort for him. He pushed farther and farther inside, letting the noise envelope him. He knew he wasn't able to gamble, but being surrounded by the activity was better than nothing. It was easy not to think about anything else when there were a thousand different things happening around you at once. No one understood how much he needed that. It was at least as important as the gambling itself.

Being in the casino, being enveloped in the excitement of it, left him itching to gamble himself. He held his clutched together hands close to his stomach. His willpower didn't matter anymore; he didn't have any money on him, no matter how much his hands shook with anticipation. Albus had taken it away when the gambling had become too much. Scorpius was glad for it. When he thought about the amount of money he'd lost them, it terrified him.

He wished his guilt was enough to stop his stomach from tightening in anticipation as he stood near the casino wall, watching the patrons spend money he didn't possess, but it wasn't. It didn't matter how many times he stewed in guilt or faced the sad looks on Albus' face, Scorpius couldn't stop hoping that, if he could just try it one more time, he would win enough to set everything right again.

Tears stung at his eyes as he collapsed onto a bench along one of the walls. Everything felt bleak. He didn't want to gamble. Not truly. He knew the heartache it caused him and everyone around him, yet he wanted the thrill of having a chance to set things right by winning back all that he'd lost. It kept drawing him back no matter how logical he tried to remain. There was no other rush like it.

He tried to quell his tears by focusing on the fantasies Albus shared with him every day: He wanted to move to a farm in the countryside and set up anti-Apparition wards around the property that made it difficult for either of them to pop out anytime they wanted. They'd be together where it was peaceful and nothing negative would be allowed inside the wards.

It would never work. Albus loved his job, and without it, they could never afford to live on a secluded farm. Scorpius' gambling had seen to that. Besides, as much as Albus was in love with the idea, Scorpius was less convinced they'd be happy there. He couldn't imagine a world where he never got to see the inside of a casino again. He thought he'd go mad there, thinking only of escape.

Two familiar guards approached him. Scorpius sink down on the bench with dread as he watched the large, bulky men approach. They weren't rough with him, knowing that he would come easily once they prodded him.

"Let's go, mate," the blonde one said, taking ahold of his arm and tugging him to his feet. "You know that hanging around here without any money on you isn't doing anyone any good."

There was sympathy in his voice, leaving Scorpius terribly embarrassed as he was escorted out. The guests with money all watched with curiosity as he passed. Tears still streamed down his face, and he couldn't bring himself to wipe them away while people were looking at him. Some of the onlookers he recognized from previous trips, and he hung his head in shame knowing that some of them were ruining their lives just as he had.

Perhaps he should have blamed the guards or the owner who he'd spoken to on several occasions or the dealers who had pulled him back in after each loss.

But he didn't. As he was left on the pavement outside, straining to hear the last sounds from the inside, his despair was too great to feel anything else.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Assignments and Challenges**

Seasonal - Days of the Year: Card Playing Day - Write about someone with a gambling addiction.

Seasonal - Winter Prompts: (word) bleak

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - farm

Word count: 674


	31. Cough

Scorpius hurried even as he tried to be careful about placing each item just right on the plate. Albus had always been picky about different foods touching, and his cold would mean he was grumpier than usual when he needed his energy the most. Once everything was plated, Scorpius couldn't help but grin in satisfaction and relief. Balancing the tray carefully in his arms, he carried it up to his and Albus' bedroom as fast as he could without dislodging his hard work.

Despite his efforts to the contrary, Albus was already awake when he entered, groaning as he buried himself deep in the blankets of the bed.. Scorpius hurried into the room, setting the tray carefully on the table beside to bed and earning a curious glance from Albus, whose eyes could just been seen over the top of the blankets.

"Good morning," Scorpius said cheerfully, reaching out to smooth Albus' hair away from his forehead.

It was damp from sweat, but he didn't feel hot enough to have a fever. Scorpius decided that it was likely a consequence of his cocoon of blankets, but filed away the information for later use. So far, this was nothing but a particularly bad cold, and Scorpius was going to do everything he could to prevent any trips to St Mungo's like the disastrous one of the previous year when Albus had come down with the flu and tried to work through it.

"Morning," Albus groaned, turning to press his face into the pillow in a desperate effort to block out the feelings coming from within his own body.

"I made you breakfast," Scorpius said, perching himself on the edge of the bed and motioning at the tray.

Albus made another noise that was somewhere between confirmation and protest. He turned his head far enough to the side that, when he cracked his eyes open, he was looking at Scorpius. Though Scorpius knew it was a bad idea, Albus looked so vulnerable in his sick state that he wanted to gather him in his arms and never let go. He refrained. There were more important things to accomplish in the moment.

"It feels like there's a veil inside my brain," Albus said with a cough. "Thinking is hard. How is that possible?"

He'd said too much for his throat to handle, and he devolved into a coughing fit that made Scorpius cringe. He reached for the herbal tea he'd brewed, motioning for Albus to sit up against the pillows before he passed it to him. Albus hummed in approval as he took a sip, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Don't worry," Scorpius said. "I've taken the day off work, so I'll be here to nurse you back to health. You're going to stay in bed all day, and I'll brew up some potions that'll be a lot more effective than that tea."

Albus offered him a small smile.

"But," Scorpius continued in a stern voice, "you need to keep your energy up and eat some breakfast."

He motioned at the tray, and Albus turned to look at it with a groan.

"A full English?" he asked, clutching his stomach. "I can't manage that."

"You can manage _some_ of it if nothing else," Scorpius insisted, fitting the tray carefully over Albus' lap. "You said you weren't experiencing any nausea. Start with the toast, but try to eat a little of everything. You'll feel better afterward."

Albus lifted a sceptical eyebrow, but he took a bite of toast just as Scorpius had instructed, chewing slowly as if it were a particularly tough workout. Scorpius watched him eat the entire piece before placing the fork in his hands himself and motioning at the eggs. They worked themselves through each food until Albus had gotten the last of the sausages down.

Scorpius grinned with satisfaction as Albus collapsed against the headboard.

"I feel better," he admitted, rolling his eyes at the smirk across Scorpius' lips.

"We'll have you back on your feet in no time," he said brightly.

He stood, leaning down to press a brief kiss to Albus' forehead before he hurried away with the tray, determined to get a start on the long list of potions that needed brewing.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal - Winter Prompts: (word) cough

Seasonal - Days of the Year: Bacon Day - Write about someone making breakfast in bed for a significant other.

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - veil

Word count: 704


	32. Feeble

Scorpius hummed to himself as he descended the stairs. He felt warm after his shower, a stark contrast to the cold that had seemed to settle deep in his bones throughout the day despite the fires they kept continuously lit in the house. The blizzard outside couldn't be prevented from entering the house no matter how hard they worked against it, but at least they were indoors, away from the violent winds they could hear whistling outside.

He headed straight for the living room where he expected to find Albus. His robes from earlier in the day had been discarded for Muggle sweats, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up under blankets with Albus in front of the fire and cuddle together to keep out the cold that was already starting to return after Scorpius had stepped out from the hot stream of water from the shower.

When he entered the room, however, it wasn't to find Albus like he'd left him: in front of the fire with a book. Instead, he found a violently shivering Albus wrapped in his heavy winter cloak with an old Slytherin scarf around his neck and charcoal earmuffs firmly in place over his head.

"What happened?" Scorpius asked, rushing towards Albus.

Albus had already piled all of their blankets on top of himself, but Scorpius set to work tucking them in around him and doing what he could to increase their warmth. The shivering Albus before him felt entirely out of place. He'd only been gone for twenty minutes at most, and Albus had somehow become feeble from cold in that time. His nose was red, and he sniffled as Scorpius hurried to add a few more logs to the fire.

"The gate was banging outside," Albus said, his words punctuated by shivers wracking his body. "It was driving me mad, so I went to close it. That was a bad idea."

"Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed, staring at his husband in horror. "It's a full blown blizzard out there! You can't just waltz outside by yourself. You didn't even tell me where you were going. What if you'd gotten lost? What if you'd frozen to death?"

He was growing increasingly panicky as he thought about the possibilities, pacing in front of the fire and gesticulating wildly as he soke. Albus' hand shot out from under the blankets to wrap around Scorpius' wrist as he passed him.

"I'm fine," he said, running his finger along the sensitive skin on the inside of Scorpius' wrist. "I had my wand. It was just a bit cold."

"A bit cold," Scorpius scoffed.

He stared down at Albus, who looked incredibly pitiful under the pile of blankets and still in the clothes he'd worn outside. At least he'd had the forethought to dry them with a spell before he wrapped himself in the blankets. Scorpius was torn between anger and the desire to wrap Albus in his arms.

"You couldn't have used a charm on the gate from the door?" Scorpius asked, the fight leaving him as his shoulders slumped.

Albus frowned in thought.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But I don't know the charm for that. It seemed much easier to just go close it. It's not like it's that far."

"Easy," Scorpius grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Albus used his grip on Scorpius' wrist to tug him closer, sighing as Scorpius stumbled to a stop at the side of the couch. Albus looked up at him, freeing his other arm from the blankets to place his hands against Scorpius' waist. He looked up at Scorpius, the firelight sparkling in his eyes and aiding him in looking innocent.

"I'm an idiot," he said. "And I'm sorry. Next time I'll ask you about the charm. Even if I have to endure another hour of that godforsaken banging."

Scorpius' smiled, reaching out to caress Albus' cheek.

"You might be an idiot, but you're my idiot. That means something."

Albus laughed and lifted the edge of the blankets to give Scorpius room to slide in with him. Scorpius did so without hesitation, fitting himself against Albus' side. He could still feel the chill in the other man, and it left what warmth was left from his shower seeping from his skin to Albus'. He couldn't complain considering the circumstances.

It was Scorpius' turn to shiver, but Albus sighed in contentment and pressed himself closer, burying his face in Scorpius' neck. His cold nose made Scorpius' skin erupt in goosebumps that Albus didn't seem to notice. Scorpius wrapped his arms around him, rubbing at his back and arms to stimulate circulation. The earmuffs Albus still more slid around and dug uncomfortably into Scorpius' shoulder, but he didn't say a thing as he reached for his wand and cast a warming charm on the both of them, smiling gently when Albus moaned in relief.

"You're lucky I love cuddling so much," Scorpius remarked into Albus' hair, "because you're a block of ice right now."

Albus hummed, his response slurred as he kept his face pressed against Scorpius' chest.

"But I'm your block of ice, and you're my heater."

Scorpius tried to hold in his laughter, but he couldn't keep it entirely from making his chest vibrate. He craned his neck to whisper as close to Albus' ear as he could manage.

"Do you want to take the earmuffs off?"

Albus shook his head and pressed into him again, muttering about being cold.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - feeble

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal - Days of the Year: Cuddle Up Day - Write about someone who loves cuddling.

Seasonal - Winter Prompts: (object) earmuffs

Seasonal - Colour Prompts: charcoal

Seasonal - Birthstones: amethyst - "You might be an idiot, but you're my idiot. That means something."

Word count: 907


	33. Relax

Scorpius plucked one of the gingerbread cookies from their cooling rack and popped it in his mouth, humming in satisfaction as the spices hit his tongue. He'd been craving them for days, but had only just found the time to bake some that evening. He deserves some after the day they'd had. While he was thrilled that Lucy and Karen were now married and happy, it had been the most stressful wedding he'd ever attended.

He piled the rest of the gingerbread on an ice blue platter that he loved and carried it into the living room where Albus was already curled up by the fire. Scorpius settled onto the couch beside him, letting Albus drape half of his blanket over his lap. Scorpius held out the platter, but Albus shook his head and raised his hand to indicate that he didn't want any.

"You sure?" Scorpius asked. "Not to toot my own horn, but these are delicious."

He bit into another one and hummed to emphasize his words. Albus laughed slightly but shook his head again.

"I'm not hungry," he said. "Uncle Percy may have been a complete nightmare today, but at least they had good food."

That was true, but Scorpius still wanted the gingerbread. They hadn't gotten anything sweet after all, not after the cake had accidentally toppled over when Karen's uncle, a little too drunk, hadn't kept control over his levitation spell.

Scorpius tried to push the dramatic events of earlier in the day from his mind. He leaned back against Albus and took another bite of gingerbread. There was a real chance he'd eat the entire platter in one sitting, but he couldn't find the ability to care after the day they'd had. Albus ran his hands through his hair, and Scorpius felt himself relax for the first time in hours, his eyes beginning to flutter shut before he could finish off all of the gingerbread.

It felt only like a few minutes later when Scorpius glanced at the clock and saw that it had actually been two hours.

"Where did the time go?" he asked, not really expecting Albus to answer.

The ice blue platter was still laying on top of his stomach, half of the gingerbread gone from it. Scorpius half wished that he'd gotten himself a glass of milk or a cup of tea to go with the snack, but he was too comfortable under the blanket with Albus to even think of getting up to fetch something.

Albus' arm snaked back around his waist in response to the question. He stretched, jostling Scorpius with the movement. Scorpius cuddled closer, nustling into Albus' chest and earning a quiet laugh. Albus' hand found the hair at the nape of Scorpius' neck, playing with his absentmindedly and earning appreciative hums from Scorpius in response.

"The day took forever," Albus agreed a bit belatedly. "Then, when he get home and relax, it's like no time at all."

Scorpius hummed in agreement, his eyes closed as he laid there against Albus. He was slightly aware of Albus taking the platter from his chest and levitating it to the coffee table. A move that was probably for the best as Scorpius found it more and more difficult to hold onto consciousness. The last thing he wanted was to break his favourite platter. He did, however, have a bit of a craving for another piece of gingerbread. His contentment in his spot prevented him from actually making the move to take another one.

"Albus," he said, earning himself a small sound of acknowledgement, "when we get married, I really hope it's not like that."

Albus' chest shook with laughter under Scorpius' cheek.

"My parents could never top Uncle Percy today," he said. "And no matter how angry your dad gets, I doubt he'd ever make a scene like that."

That was true, and Scorpius tried to let the thought comfort him, even as he wondered if his father's silent stewing wouldn't be just as bad on what was often portrayed as the happiest day of one's life.

That was for the future though. Scorpius let himself focus only on Albus and the warmth radiating from the fireplace as he thoughts grew more and more fragmented as sleep overtook him. A small part of his mind thought about getting up and going to bed, but that felt like far too much work. He stayed in place instead, letting sleep come to him.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal - Days of the Year: Bubble Bath Day - Write about someone relaxing after a hard day/event.

Seasonal - Winter Prompts: (object) gingerbread

Seasonal - Colour Prompts: ice blue

Seasonal - Birthstones: Aquamarine - (dialogue) "Where did the time go?"

Word count: 743


	34. After War Comes Peace and Turmoil

Scorpius followed Theodore Nott down the hall of the halfway house created for former inmates of Azkaban. It wasn't exactly the job he'd expected to have after leaving Hogwarts, but part of him was thrilled with the idea of making a difference by teaching job skills to people with low job prospects.

The part that worried him more than anything, though, was having Theodore Nott as his boss. It was a bit hypocritical, perhaps, when his own father had been a Death Eater once upon a time, a claim that Nott couldn't make himself. Still, Nott had committed crimes since the war that had landed him in Azkaban, and Scorpius thought it prudent to be at least as cautious with the unfamiliar man as he was with his own grandfather.

He was supposed to be listening to the rules as Nott gave him the tour, but he could only focus on Nott's demeanor, nodding along absentmindedly in what he hoped were the right places. Nott walked hunched over, as if protecting himself, and he wore a wide brimmed hat that he kept tilted over his face. While it didn't completely hide him from view, Scorpius could the distinct impression that Nott wanted it to.

Nott brought them to a stop in front of the small office that already had Scorpius' name on the nameplate outside of it. Scorpius stepped inside, happy to see there was a window even if all he could see through it at the moment was the sleet coming down outside. Her certainly hadn't had the luxury of nice weather on his first day of work.

"You got everything?" Nott asked, standing in the door.

Scorpius hesitated for a second as a million questions ran through his mind, but Notts questions had sounded more like one that already had its proper answer. Besides, most of his questions had more to do with Nott than with the job itself.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine," Scorpius said.

The words weren't entirely out of his mouth before Nott was gone.

* * *

A year and a half passed, with Scorpius growing increasingly comfortable in his job. At some point, Nott stopped being intimidating and was nothing more than a sad figure who made Scorpius roll his eyes when he yelled at the inhabitants of the halfway house for infractions as small as forgetting to put the soap in the correct spot in the shower.

The former inmates weren't anymore phased by Nott's behavior than Scorpius was, though they would often pretend to feel adequately scolded.

Despite not viewing the man as a threat, Scorpius tried to give him a wide berth, able to sense when someone else wanted to be left alone.

He definitely hadn't meant to discover the man crying over an old photograph. All Scorpius had been trying to do was find a spare mop to clean up the kitchen. Instead he was facing Nott, who still had tear tracks staining his cheeks as he stared back at Scorpius.

"What do you want, boy?" Nott growled when the silence had gone on a bit too long.

Scorpius noticed his hand inch towards his wand, but he wasn't worried about Nott actually using it. The last thing he wanted was another stint in Azkaban. He was more terrified of that than Scorpius was of anything.

Though he knew that, he also knew that his question wasn't wise.

"Who's that in the picture?"

Nott held the photo to his chest, but it was no use. Scorpius had already seen the photo and recognized Luna Lovegood, though she appeared younger than he'd ever seen her.

"None of your business."

"How do you know Luna?" he asked. He was vaguely aware that they must have been at school together since they'd both been with his father, but he had never imagined they'd spoke.

Nott's eyes narrowed, but he didn't outright refuse to answer.

"We were at school together."

"Do you keep pictures of all of your old schoolmates?" Scorpius asked. "Is there one of my father?"

Nott actually snorted, some of the tension draining from his shoulders.

"Your father wasn't attractive enough to make the cut."

"Luna was?"

Nott stares at him, and Scorpius was sure he was going to be shut down. Somehow, Nott answered him instead.

"A lot of things changed after the war. They had to. We'd all changed after the things we saw. Luna's always been more forgiving than she should be. But even she can't forgive everything."

It was too vague for Scorpius to feel like he understood anything, but it was enough that he didn't have a desire to poke further.

He let Nott step around him, the photo still held to his chest. It took several moments for Scorpius to remember that he'd come for a mop.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal - Winter in Japan: War and Peace - Write about the effect of war on someone.

Seasonal - Water Element: Cancer - Theo/Luna

Seasonal - Winter Prompts: (weather) sleet

Seasonal - Days of the Year: National Hat Day - Write about someone wearing a hat.

 **HPFC**

Favourite Character Boot Camp: Scorpius Malfoy - tour

Word count: 801


	35. Black Sheep

**For Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments, Assignment 2 - Agricultural Science: task 1 - Write about someone feeling unwanted.**

 **Warning for a lot of pre-teen angst.**

 **Also, this is pre-Cursed Child. Reading CC shouldn't be necessary to understanding it, but I did use a lot of elements from the play in Albus's characterization.**

 **Word count: 899**

* * *

Albus's stomach growled, prompting the young boy of twelve to cover it with his hand and will his hunger to go away. There were still a couple of hours left until dinner, and he knew that his cravings for some jelly slugs would only grow worse while he waited.

The kitchen was so close. He could picture the box of sweets perched on its shelf in the pantry. He'd placed them there for his mum when she'd brought the groceries home from Diagon Alley, and he could only hope that neither of his siblings had cracked into the box before he had, though it didn't matter if they had unless Albus made it to the kitchen.

A particularly loud laugh travelled through the walls of Albus's room, making him frown at the door as if it had offended him. His parents and siblings had been together in the sitting room for nearly an hour, talking and laughing. Albus couldn't make out their words, but he heard their happy voices.

His cheeks burned at the knowledge that they were having a great time without him. No one had even thought to invite him into their little gathering. Not that it was unexpected. He'd accepted that his presence was tolerated far more than it was wanted. He was the black sheep of the Potter family, the Slytherin who they didn't know how to speak to. It had been two years since his sorting; he'd accepted it.

It should have been easy to stroll downstairs, right past the sitting room, and grab the jelly slugs, but he couldn't do it. He knew his family would watch him pass and think the same things they always did when they saw him: How could he, a Potter, have been sorted into Slytherin? Why did he have to be so abnormal?

Just that morning, James had joked about Albus practicing the Dark Arts when he was locked away in his room for the summer. Ginny had scolded him, earning loud protests in response, but his mother coming to his defense hadn't done much to lessen the sting of the accusation. Honestly, why was his family surprised that he hardly left his room when he had to deal with things like that?

His stomach growled again, and he groaned. One glance at the door broke his resolve, and he cracked the door open, sticking his head through to check the darkened hallway. His family's voices grew louder as he stepped into the hall and shut his bedroom door quietly behind him.

Tiptoeing down the stairs, he kept his eyes peeled for signs that someone was leaving the sitting room. Though it never came, his heart raced at the potential danger.

He came to a stop right before the doorway to the sitting room. There was no door, and a square of light shone into the hallway. Albus hovered right outside of it, able to make out what was being said for the first time. They were discussing the score of the recent Chudley Cannons game that Albus knew nothing about. All they ever wanted to talk about was Quidditch. Once, Albus had been like that too, but he could no longer say who was top of the league. It was too painful to think of the Quidditch matches he'd once happily attended with his family.

As more laughter carried into the hall, Albus darted past the door, breathing easier once he was in the empty kitchen. He moved as quickly as he could without making noise, being particularly careful when he opened the cupboard, knowing that the door frequently squeaked.

The box of jelly slugs sat there untouched. Albus's face lit up, his fears of being discovered forgotten. He took several slugs, shoving them into his pockets as if he were breaking the rules and not just sneaking around to avoid an uncomfortable exchange.

As he tiptoed back to his room, he excitedly thought about the jelly slugs he'd soon be eating. He was braver as he darted past the sitting room again. He paused at the end of the hallway as Harry's voice carried from the sitting room.

"That goal you scored in your last game this year was brilliant, James. I'm quite proud of you."

Albus's throat stung, unable to remember the last time his father had said something like that to him. The thought of the jelly slugs was no longer exciting; he actually felt a little sick. He trudged up the steps, keeping his steps light but finding that it took far more energy than his original trip had taken.

Part of him wanted to go to the sitting room and melt into his family, but he knew that was little more than a fantasy. If he went downstairs, the whole family would eye him in surprise. They'd welcome him, sure, but things would get tense as they tried to figure out why he was even there. Staying in his room was easier. No one treaded water around him when he was by himself.

Once more safely ensconced in his room, Albus emptied the jelly slugs onto his bed. He no longer felt hungry though and ignored them as he laid down and stared at the ceiling. Tears pricked at his eyes as he blinked, willing them away.

He'd walked right by them twice, and not even his mother had noticed him.


	36. King of Healing

**A/N: Written for Assignment 6 - Men's History: task 2 -** **Write about someone with a royal title (note: they don't have to be royalty, they can be known as 'the king/queen of…' - remember to show this) at Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments forum.**

 **Word count: 624**

* * *

After more than twenty years of work, Scorpius had finally found a cure for the blood curse that had killed his mother. The rush of emotions he felt afterward was unlike anything he had previously experienced. He was relieved that any future descendants of his wouldn't die like his mother had if the curse reappeared, but more than anything, he was ready for a break after decades of endless work. The Head Healer in his department was more than happy to grant his vacation request, even sending him off with a vigorous congratulatory handshake.

He had just settled down for a nice cup of coffee on his first morning off when his husband held up the day's copy of the _Prophet_ from across the kitchen table. Scorpius scowled at it as he took a huge swing of coffee, less than pleased with the amused smirk on Albus's lips.

"Scorpius Malfoy, the new King of Healing, cures deadly blood curse," Albus read, a barely contained laugh in his voice.

"Why do they care so much?" Scorpius asked as he picked at his eggs. "It's a rare blood curse that hardly anyone will ever experience. It's not like I cured the common cold."

"That only makes it more impressive, don't you know?" Albus asked, tossing the paper down between them with the headline facing Scorpius. "You only had a few test subjects, yet you solved a mystery that had failed everyone else for centuries. They're very right to be impressed."

Scorpius gave Albus a soft smile, his annoyan thawing at the true wonder in Albus's voice when he talked about Scorpius's accomplishments. The rest of wizarding Britain, however, was not his supportive husband who had been there through it all.

"Where was their enthusiasm when my funding almost ran out three times?" he asked, stabbing a sausage with his fork. "Besides," he continued with a shudder, "I don't want to be a king of anything ever again. That reminds me too much of that dark world where I was the Scorpion King. It was terrible."

Albus's smile grew soft. Reaching across the table, he tugged Scorpius's hand off his coffee cup to cradle it in his own. Scorpius offered him a muted smile in return. Even decades after traveling through time, they rarely spoke of what Scorpius had experienced in the alternate timeline where Voldemort had reigned supreme. Scorpius preferred to pretend it had never happened at all.

"I think it's a little over the top too," Albus said jokingly. "No Malfoy needs to be told their royalty. We all know how easily things go to your family's heads."

Scorpius let out an indignant squeal, tugging his hand from Albus's to hit him lightly on the arm. Albus laughed but refused to take back the lighthearted insult.

Their playful bickering was quickly interrupted by their daughter Gloria's owl Gizmo fluttering into the kitchen through the open window above the sink The large tawny owl landed next to Scorpius's fork and stuck out his leg with a soft hoot of familiarity. Scorpius took the letter, noticing that it was only his name scrawled across the envelope in his daughter's messy handwriting. Albus raised an eyebrow as Scorpius tore the envelope open, only to lower his head onto the table a few minutes later.

"What is it?" Albus asked, snatching the letter from Scorpius's hand.

It didn't take long for him to start laughing.

"Who would've thought?" he mused. "Twenty years since we last stepped foot in Hogwarts, you've finally managed to become the most popular person in the castle." There was a pause as he read the letter more deeply. "Wow. Gloria's quite pissed with the attention, isn't she?"

Scorpius's only response was to flip him off.


End file.
